


Mass Effect Aftermath

by EndlessExplorer



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Admiral Shepherd!, F/M, Life after the war, Mass Effect for ever!, ShepMiri for Life!, Shepherd Wedding!, Shepherd's work is never done, don't kill it EA!, god damn I love this series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 18:03:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 82,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13172307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessExplorer/pseuds/EndlessExplorer
Summary: Follow William and Miranda as they try to live their lives together after the war. Ships include ShepMiri, T'sovik, Talibrations, EdiXJoker...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my longest project ever! I've always loved Shepherd and Miranda, so I decided to write a fic about them in order to keep them going... Please read, rate, and enjoy!

Everything had happened so quickly. Hackett had given the order to the entire fleet guarding the Citadel, to disengage and head to the predetermined meeting point somewhere in Systems Alliance space. As the Normandy flew around the Citadel awaiting word from her Commander for a pick-up, Garrus was forced to order Joker to pull them out of there. Joker hated the thought of leaving the Commander behind, because he was one of his closest friends, as well as the only reason that he could safely say that he now had Edi in his life. She may be a sentient A.I but he had never met anything that seemed more human before in his life.

     The Catalyst started to pulse. An aura of green energy seemed to be building at its core and the field was intensifying rapidly. As Joker aimed the Normandy towards the Sol system relay, he heard the familiar voice of Miranda Lawson behind him. The rapid click of her heels, sprinting towards the bridge as she screamed for them not to leave. Garrus held her back and ordered Joker to follow through with the FTL jump. Joker and Garrus both knew just how much the former Cerberus Operative had come to love Shepard and they also knew just how much of that love Shepard had for her, but they also knew that they had to get out of there. 

     In the final push to the conduit, Liara and Tali had been injured by explosions caused by the onslaught of Harbingers energy beams. As Shepard called for the Normandy to provide evac for his injured teammates, he was surprised when it landed and he found Miranda waiting to aid them aboard. Shepard was delighted to see her in person before he made it to the Citadel because he knew that this would be the real suicide mission. The trip through the Omega 4 relay could be survived, but this had so slight a chance, that he said his goodbyes and left only one regret, and that was not spending more time with the one woman that he had been fighting for a future with. After Tali and Liara had been placed on stretchers, Shepard had grabbed Miranda by the shoulders and kissed her deeply. It was spontaneous but full of all the emotions he could muster. Love. Happiness.. regret... despair... It was a vast cocktail of unknown emotions and for a second, Miranda seemed to melt into it. Afterward however, she placed her hand on his chest, pushing him back. Leaning in close, she whispered

     "Come back alive... You promised me you would and I know you never go back on your promises..."

   Nodding, Shepard lifted his signature Matlock rifle and led the remaining forces in an all or nothing charge for the conduit. As the Normandy retreated back into space, Miranda stood there for a minute, frozen and attempting to sort out her conflicted mind. Shaking herself out of the daydream, she decided that the best way to help Shepard now would be to make sure his team pulls through. Heading for the med-bay, for the first time ever, she clasped her hands and made a silent prayer to whatever divine power that could be up there listening to her, asking them to look after Shepard and to bring him back to her alive.

     Now however, she lay on her knees, in Garrus' arms as he tried to calm her down. She felt as though she had been stabbed through the heart and been left to die. The sounds that were coming from her body were stricken with heartbreak and intense despair. Tears fell down the side of her perfectly sculpted face and mingled with the crusted blood on her uniform. As Garrus held her, he looked out through the front window of the Normandy, watching stars whiz by, wishing that he could do anything to see his best friend again.

    That simple fact always surprised Garrus. Since the conflict in the First Contact War, relations between the Turian and Human people had always been on a thin piece of ice, ready to crumble at a moment’s notice. Although, here was Commander William Shepard, who was one of the four people that Garrus would trust with his life. The others being his quarian girlfriend Tali, his father and his sister, Solana. He was the highest regarded human in Garrus' life and some could say that their friendship would be a prime sample of pro-Turian and Human relations. He would have to eventually go down, check on Tali and if she was up for it, tell her the probable fate of Shepard. He did not expect her to take it well as she always felt in debt to Shepard. He helped her complete her pilgrimage, reclaim the Alarei, brought a sick quarian back to them from the clutches of Cerberus and helped prove her father’s innocence. He had even fought tooth and nail to unite the Quarian people with the Geth, all in the effort of peace and had managed to even give the Quarian people their home world, Rannoch back. He had done so much for every race throughout the Galaxy and now he had probably sacrificed himself again, all in the name of intergalactic peace. Garrus would go and tell Tali eventually, but now he wanted to kneel on the floor, holding his best friends' girlfriend in his arms as she cried and mourn their common loss.


	2. Chapter Two

Shepard looked around him. He lay at the centre of the Catalyst, staring intently at the pulsing beam, right in front of his eyes. With one hand he scratched at the growing beard that was budding from his chin while he stared down at where his right arm had once been. He had given his right arm as the way to initiate Synthesis, where all synthetic and organic life would be permanently joined as one. What would have been a grievous open wound, was cauterised shut at the stump and it had been relatively painless. As the massive mechanism around him began to hum with intense energy, Shepard lay down and stared out into the vast expanse of space. He had been born and raised aboard Alliance Warships, so he was well used to the usual empty look, but he also managed to find its underestimated beauty as well. While the pain in his arm had dissipated, every other part of him either stung or pulsed in intense pain. In Harbingers blast, his armour had melted and fused to his body. While it was extremely painful, he had been grateful for it as well as it seemed to seal any of the other leaking wounds that seemed to track across his body at that point. He could feel the catalyst rumbling and watched as it shot a beam far into the dark reaches of space. While Shepard wasn't entirely perfect with star charts, he was pretty sure that it sent it in the direction of the mass relay. As the green energy protruded from the centre of the catalyst, he became incredibly tired. His body was screaming at him, wanting him to close his eyes and just drift off into an eternal rest. As his eyes got heavier by the second, he began to think back again on what exactly had happened over the last few hours. He had landed in London, taken out the Hades cannon with the McCain, and watched as Cortez was shot down. He didn't know if Cortez had pulled through, but he had been hopeful. He said his goodbyes, shared what he expected to be his last with all around him, especially his loved ones. Suddenly, his mind became stuck on one person in particular. Miranda Lawson.

     He knew that she was probably safe because she had been aboard the Normandy but that didn't mean that their separation from each other had been easy. While his heart leapt a little to see her again, he almost wished he hadn't. He had accepted after their short call at the FOB that he probably wouldn't see her again, but now that he had, a lot of painful, yet cherished memories had surfaced. He thought back to when they, as he put it, had a 'normal date for normal people' and they had spent the evening gambling. He remembered dancing with her during his party in his apartment and now he thought about her as he was forced to abandon her once again, all in the name of peace. 

     He felt the catalyst shift to one side. He could hear distant explosions and then he knew that the final blast had overloaded the Catalyst and it was now falling apart. Turning his attention back to the deep dark expanse, he went back to observing her deeply, misunderstood beauty. He watched as wreckages of Human, Turian, Quarian, Salarian, and Asari Warships had become mingled in the aftermath of the battle and he was happy that he had been able to see it. See that Harbinger had been wrong. Shepard had succeeded in uniting every conceivable and known species in the Milky Way and together, they had done what no-one before them had accomplished. They had broken the cycle. They had stopped the Reapers warped sense of harvesting species in order to save them from their 'fate' of dying in the hands of their synthetic counterparts. While at one point long ago, Shepard might have agreed with them, he had watched as the Geth and the Quarians had finally managed to ally together, despite how many told him what he was doing was impossible.

     As the explosions were getting louder and the Catalyst was shaking violently, Shepard again thought of Miranda. 

He decided that if by whatever reason he got to see her again, there would be no power on Earth that would take him from her side. Then falling onto his side, he finally closed his eyes in an effort to rest.


	3. Chapter Three

The outward pulse of the Catalyst had used the mass relay system to propel itself all over the Milky Way, bathing everyone in its energy. The reapers had stopped fighting and people began to cheer that it was finally over.  It was different however aboard the Normandy. The pulse had caused the Drive Core to fail and it crashed onto an uncharted world covered in trees and wildlife. Edi had been temporarily shut down by the same blast that had killed the engine. In the absence of authority Garrus had been appointed acting captain as Ashley had died during the fight back on Earth, James was currently laying on a bed in the Med-bay and Miranda had locked herself in Shepard's Cabin. Joker had locked himself in the A.I core, attempting to reactivate Edi and thankfully, Tali had recovered and was now attempting to reactivate the Drive Core. They had crashed about ten hours ago and Garrus had no idea on what to do, so he did what anyone with a brain would have done and went and tried to get inspiration from those closest to him. Since he had no idea on what state had befallen his best friend, that honour had fallen to Tali. Once Garrus had reached the engine room, he found Tali rather easily as her feet were poking out of an open hatch. Deciding that she probably needed a pick-me-up, he got close enough, reached down and tickled her feet. He soon heard a heavy metallic thump and realised that Tali must have banged her head against a pipe.

      "Donnelly! You bosh'tet! "She screamed angrily as she tried to wriggle her at out of the hatch. As she was scrambling for a second, Garrus grabbed her by the feet and effortlessly pulled her out. As she was still in 'Revenge mode', he then ducked in order to dodge a mean right hook from the spry quarian. As he rose back up, he wrapped his long arms around her chest, locking her arms in place around her and stopping her assault in one quick move. 

     "Hey there Tali. How's things?" He asked

    "Wait... That was you?! You know I can't stand being tickled! That's it! I don't love you anymore!" She replied.

     "Yeah, we both know that's a lie. I think it's actually more impossible to hate me then it is to have a peaceful conversation with Harbinger. Anyway, I really need your help." He replied.

      "Oh? You only come down here. Torture your girlfriend, lock her in some of weird Turian arm cage and then expect her to help you? You must be crazier than Udina ever was..." Tali retorted, trying her best to wiggle her way out of Garrus' grasp.

     "Yeah well, I'm the only one with the key to this cell and what I need you for is to talk to Miranda. Ever since we left the Sol system, she's locked herself away in Shepard's cabin and we really need her. Since she was Cerberus, she might have some idea on some sort of emergency power or reboot for the Normandy, but no matter how much I try and talk to her, she doesn't even glance at me. Would you mind?" Garrus asked, trying his best to give Tali puppy dog eyes, but he failed miserably and just ended up contorting his face into a look like a half melted puppet. Tali couldn't control herself.

       "Let me go. Keep that look on your face and let me to take a picture and you have a deal, my Turian friend..." Tali replied, trying to stifle her laughter.

      "I think you mean 'my Turian boyfriend' and those terms are acceptable." Garrus replied, unwrapping his arms from Tali. As Tali shifted her arms in an effort to ease the slight discomfort in her shoulders, her drone Chatika, took the memorable photo. Then as Garrus headed into the engine room to find out more information about the state of the Drive Core, Tali headed for the deactivate elevator, climbing the shaft up to the top floor, to Shepard's room.

    As the power was dead and the door had been open, during the overload, there really wasn't anything blocking anyone from entering Shepard's quarters. As Tali found out rather quickly though, Miranda had improvised. By using his bedside tables and his coffee table, she had made a crude barricade in the door way, further enforcing it by using her biotics to give that added layer of silence and defence.

       "Miranda? Are you there?" Tali asked. While she received no vocal reply, the sound of something moving on his couch told Tali that Miranda must have been inside. Tali knew why Miranda had isolated herself and pitied her, but she knew what she was doing wasn't helping anybody. Summoning her drone once again, she tweaked its overload ability to deliver a quick, yet noticeable jolt and sent Chatika through the vents into Shepard's Quarters, just above Miranda's head. Tali knew that Miranda's senses were top-notch and nothing could take her by surprise, but the fact that Chatika had been able to get into the room and get so close to her meant that something else was on Miranda's mind or she really wasn't herself right now. As Chatika delivered the sharp jolt and had taken Miranda by surprise, the biotic wall had temporarily dropped and Tali charged in before Miranda recovered and replaced it. Tali walked down the steps and quickly managed to find Miranda. She sat on the couch, photos of her and Shepard were up on her Omni-tool and picture frames that she had remembered seeing around Shepard's Cabin were lying next to her as well. She had a glass of whiskey in her hand and black streaks were cascading down her face. She looked up at Tali with lethal glares. Tali stared deeply into her eyes and it seemed as though her very soul had burned away. She seemed dead inside.

      "What do you want?" Miranda asked Tali.

    "We need you to help us fix the Normandy, Miranda. Because you helped build her, we were thinking that maybe you might have some ideas of hidden components or at the very least, any idea on emergency power." Tali told her.

      "That was a cheap move, miss Zorah. You're lucky I didn't have my pistol with me." Miranda said as she went back to her glass.

     Tali didn't know what came over her, but out of nowhere, she marched over and slapped the glass out of Miranda's hands, causing it to smash against the walls of Shepard's cabin. Grabbing Miranda by the shoulders, she pulled her up onto unsteady feet and hugged her. Miranda seemed to still be quite confused as she never made an attempt to push her away.

      "I know that you're hurting Miranda, but we need you now more than ever. You might think that Shepard's dead but if I learned anything about him, it's that he's a stubborn Bosh'tet and people like him don't die. Now if you want any chance of seeing him again, we need to get the Normandy space worthy again, so we need your help. Are you with us Miranda or do you want to just sit here and mope over someone who could be waiting for you back on Earth?" Tali asked. She stayed there for another few seconds with her arms wrapped around Miranda. When the silence began to get stagnant, Tali was about to unwrap her arms when Miranda suddenly wrapped her own around Tali and then proceeded to whisper "Thank you" in her ear.

        Taking a step back from each other, Miranda brought up her Omni-tool and after she wiped the tears off her face, she brought up the schematics of the Normandy, and signalled toward the Engine Room.

      "The Normandy runs on an Eezo Drive Core remember? So if I remember right, we have to feed the Drive Core some element zero. We should have some still in storage down in the storage bay, so we just have to feed the Eezo in and then deliver a powerful electric blast afterward to properly start the Engine. It'll then break the Eezo down and run off that afterward." Miranda suggested.

       "We can feed in the Eezo, and we'll have to repair the power junctions, make sure that the system can take the power surge, but where are we going to make an electrical blast powerful enough to restart a warship's Drive Core?" Tali questioned.

      "Believe it or not, Shepard has actually given us the solution to that question." Miranda said as she walked over toward Shepard's bed. She slipped her finger underneath the mattress and all of a sudden, the mattress turned on one side and a platform rose up from underneath, covered in a wide range of different guns of various types. Miranda bent down and picked up one that seemed familiar to Tali.

     "One Cerberus-made Arc Projector. Shepard asked for this private gun locker to be installed underneath his bed back when we both worked with Cerberus. It's biometrical locked to either myself or Shepard and not even a krogan nuke could crack the seal open. It is the one thing in this galaxy that I could safely say is absolutely impenetrable. The projector has a full capacity of 35 charges, but if we could either get it to deliver all 35 charges rapidly or just one burst with the strength of 35 charges, it should be enough to restart the Drive Core. We'll only have one chance at this because that blast will probably cause the projector to disintegrate, so make sure everything is ready before the attempt." Miranda said as she closed the locker again.

     As Miranda and Tali replaced the two beside lockers and the coffee table, Miranda had thanked Tali again and had also apologised for leaving the crew when they had probably needed her the most. Tali replied with a light chuckle, telling her that she probably would have done the same thing if she had been in Miranda's situation. Then as Tali headed back to the Engineering Deck and Miranda headed to the cargo hold to look for the Eezo stores, they became determined to bring life back to the ship.

     Several hours later everything had been set up. The Eezo had been fed into the Drive Core's central reactor and the projector had been set to fire. The A.I core had been taken off the ships power grid as the surge could cause Edi to explode if the Core reactivation failed and everyone agreed that, that could not happen. Garrus had passed power back to Miranda and now she stood alongside Joker on the Bridge, waiting for Adams to complete his safety checks. A few minutes later, they received the all-clear and Joker primed the Core. Slamming her fist down on a button, Miranda fired the power into the Normandy, and her systems seemed to pop and fizzle for a second or two. Miranda could hear Joker quietly wishing for her to come back to life and there was a collective cheer when everyone heard the familiar sound of the engine firing again. Joker threw his hands into the air, exclaiming "She's alive! My baby's alive!" And over the intercom, it could clearly be heard that the Engineers were celebrating just as much. Laying her hand down on his shoulder, Miranda said to Joker,

       "Get us back to Earth, Mr. Moreau."

 Rather excitedly, He replied,

   "At once Ma'am."

 As the Normandy sluggishly rose into the air, Miranda headed to where Traynor was attempting to reconnect the ship to an Alliance Comm Buoy. As soon as she managed it however, there was a message for Miranda from Admiral Hackett. Simply it said.

  _Ms. Lawson,_

_We found him. It's critical, but we could use your help due to the amount of Cerberus implants which are installed in his body. Please contact soon._

_Admiral Hackett._

Clutching a hand to her chest, Miranda said with a shaky breath.

"There's still a chance. No matter what, there's still a chance."


	4. Chapter Four

After the Catalyst crashed on Earth, Major Coats, that had taken command after Anderson, had sent teams to scour through the wreckage. What surprised everyone though is what they found buried underneath.

     Shepard was buried at the centre of the wreckage with a dome of biotic energy established around him. He seemed to be unconscious but the fact that his amps were still active meant that he was still alive. It took a few days but they eventually uncovered the Dome. Coats had informed Hackett of the fact that they had found Shepard. Knowing of his relationship with Miranda Lawson, Hackett had ordered his Comm Officers with raising the Normandy and relaying her a message.

     It took another few days, but the Normandy had arrived at the Alliance Dry-dock. While Joker stayed behind in another effort to reactivate Edi, Miranda, Garrus, Tali and Doctor Chakwas headed for central London where Shepard still lay comatose.

    Miranda immediately set to work, trying to find a way to break Shepard's barrier, without killing him. Chakwas, who had nearly been as eager as Miranda to see the Commander up and running again, had offered her services to Miranda to investigate ways in repairing Shepard's various implants. Tali, while unable to help Miranda's efforts had been working aboard the Normandy with Joker in an effort to reawaken Edi.

    Days passed and still no break in the barrier. It had impressed Miranda that Shepard, while comatose, was still able to keep the barrier up but she also knew about the impact of what over-used amps could do to someone. At this point he would be dehydrated or malnourished and if they couldn't get it down soon, the amps would kill him. She knew of one way to burn out the amps, but it would have to be carefully done as it could kill him. It wasn't exactly preferable but she was desperate to wake Shepard, to kill him for putting her through this, she thought to herself.

      After discussing it with the others, they devised that someone would have to try and absorb the energy being given out by Shepard's barrier in order to decrease the size of the Dome, then someone would attempt to hack into his Omni-tool, in order to issue the order for his amps to deactivate. She had volunteered to absorbing the biotic energy. One main problem however would be that of Shepard's Omni-tool. There were layers and layers of constant replicating code to break through. The security of his private tool, especially after the clone incident, had been improved by Edi and now it was almost impossible to break into.

     Miranda was busy going over submitted prototypes of various high impact biotic implants that she would need to test in order to survive the energy absorption. What she didn't realise however was that Tali had arrived, looking to give her an update on the situation with the Normandy and Edi.

        "How are the efforts going with trying to break the Barrier?" Tali asked.

    Miranda's shoulders slumped a bit, but she still kept the determined look on her face.

     "Slow, but we have to figure out something soon or otherwise it will have all been for nothing and Shepard will die." Miranda replied.

      "Well, Edi's recovery seems to be coming along as well. It will hopefully be completed soon because as we both know, the only one capable of breaking into Shepard's tool is Edi. Joker is panicking constantly and has broken three fingers in the last hour, but we hope to have her online soon. Anyway, I just said I give you an update. I'll contact you with any big news." Tali told her, turning to walk out.

    "Thank you, Tali." Miranda replied.

It didn't take long but Tali was back inside Shepard's ship. The Normandy was beginning to look like herself again as panels had been re-beaten and re-fitted, the electrical systems seemed to have been repaired and rebalanced and apart from the occasional blowtorch, the gentle hum of the Drive Core was the only noise that could be heard in the hallways. As the lift opened on deck three, Tali could clearly hear Joker, his voice coming from the direction of the A.I Core. As she got closer, Joker got clearer and he seemed to be even more pissed from when she had left.

     "God damn it! Why aren't you coming back?! We found Shepard, we got back home! We need you... I need you! Please come back Edi!" Joker shouted. Tali could see that he was rigid. He wanted to punch something to relieve the anger, but instead, broke down crying.

     "Hey Joker? You ok?" Tali asked, running over to comfort him.

   "Do I look ok? I've been here since we got back but nothing is working! There must be something to bring her back!" Joker said, through tears.

    "Well, I'm here, so let me take a look..." Tali replied, desperate to help.

 Tali could see just how badly Joker wanted to see Edi again. It was the same look she saw in Miranda's eyes as they were flying back to Earth. That look of intense determination. That want to see their loved ones again.

    They got to work. It took around another 10 hours of constant hard work but Tali was hopeful that they could get Edi back online. Turning off the Normandy's main power grid, Tali had Chatika oversee the junctions and circuits, while she once again reconnected the A.I servers back onto the main systems. Once Chatika was finished overseeing the connections and had reported no fault, Tali quickly prepared a harmless virus to test Edi's firewall protection capabilities.

      Giving the honour to Joker, Tali stood back as he attempted a reboot. The hum from the engine below them, told them that the power had been reset. Joker hung his head as he went to the controls. When the servers around him began buzzing with life again, he looked around him in hopeful anticipation. Tali introduced her virus and was happy to see that it had been snuffed out and destroyed almost as quickly as it had been introduced into the system hardware.

     Joker slowly turned and stared at Edi's android body that had been laid out on the small table along the back wall. Grasping her hand as tight as he could, he spoke out.

   "Edi? Are you there?"

There was no reply for a second. He asked again.

    "Hello? Edi? Please tell me you're ok!"

Joker was just about to leave go of Edi's hand when she suddenly squeezed his own hand back.

  "Hello Jeff. How are you?" Edi asked, in her familiar tone.

Joker smiled from ear to ear. They watched as Edi opened her eyes and sat up on the edge of the table.

    "I notice system failures throughout the Normandy. Preforming Diagnostics... Hello Ms Vas Normandy, how are you?" Edi continued.

     Joker let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her. A loud audible crack followed.

   "I'm so happy you're ok... I really missed you Edi. Please don't ever leave me again." Joker said, crying slightly.

     "It's ok Jeff. You really should be more careful though, it seems as though you have broken your arm." Edi replied. Joker placed a kiss on Edi's lips.

     "Right now, all my frail bones don't matter."

   Tali stood back and left them alone. Heading back to the airlock, Tali called out to Edi. As her voice came on again over the intercom, Tali asked her to report to the site on which Shepard still lay, telling her that her help was needed. As Edi told her that she would be there promptly, Tali then decided that she had to call Miranda and tell her the good news. Bringing up her Omni-tool, she quickly vidcalled Miranda.

     "Good news to report Miranda. We got Edi active again and she's agreed to help us. I'm on my way to you now." Tali said, rather happily due to the fact that Edi was back.

     "Good. But please hurry. The dome just shrank so that means that either the amps are beginning to die or worse, that there's nothing left in Shepard for them to work off of." Miranda told her, fear evident in her voice.

   As Miranda hung up the vidcall, Tali now began to fear for Shepard's life and then not knowing when she started, she found herself running in the direction of the dome site.


	5. Chapter Five

Miranda didn't have time to test and compare the various different amps, so now she was trying to come up with a new plan on how to get to Shepard. The absorption and hack plan would still be the best possible solution but without stronger implants, Edi would have considerably less time before Miranda would be forced to stop the absorption before her own amps would begin to overload.

     As more medical teams were recovered, more personnel had been sent to Miranda to aid the effort in recovering Shepard. Edi had arrived shortly after Tali, along with Liara. While having more biotic users to handle the energy could satisfy the lack of stronger implants, Miranda didn't want to ask for help in a very personal quest to save Shepard. As Miranda walked out from the research tent, Liara had come up to her, unsure.

     " Ms. Lawson, I'm wondering about whether or not there has been any change on the barrier. While we need to make sure that we can take it down without killing Shepard, we also need to make sure that the energy of which the dome is composed of, doesn't become unstable." Liara asked her.

     "While I haven't personally checked up on the stability of the field, there are many biotic researchers here that would have that information for you if you wish to add it to your notes..." Miranda was telling her, suddenly she had been interrupted by a familiar voice. That of Jack, who had recently arrived along with her class of Grissom Academy biotic students.    

   "Hello their Cheerleader! How's things? I see that your boyfriend is still locked up. Geez... you really need to re-invent your image. Maybe become a teacher, that worked out for me." Jack said, grinning.

    "Ah Jack... I'm so happy to see you... Any way thanks for turning up..." Miranda replied, not even bothering to look in Jack's direction. Liara had left at that stage, so it was only Jack and Miranda. The tension was palpable.

    "Relax there Bust-for-brains. Shepard was my friend too. I'm here because I heard that my friend is in danger and I thought I could be able to help him, ok? So take your high opinion of yourself and shove it up your ass. I'm here to help Shepard, not you and your sex fantasies. My students are here to help as well... Just don't ask Prangley, he sucks balls." Jack retorted. Miranda swung around.

    "And what would you do huh?! I've been here for days trying to break through that damn barrier. If you have an idea, then by all means, share it! If not, then let me work!" Miranda shouted, frustrated.

    Jack stood there for a second. This was rare for her, not to have any sharp-witted comeback or jab, to send back. She stood there speechless, but only for a few more seconds. Squaring her jaw, she called to Miranda.

     "Give me one hour princess! I'll have your trophy Boyfriend outta there."

   Miranda marched off back inside the tent in a fit of mind-bogging frustration. She had brought a man back from the dead for god's sake, she could break a barrier.

Over the next hour, the site was quiet. There were biotic experts watching over Shepard, Miranda and Chakwas were going over implants inside the research tent and Jack was going over ideas with her student group. Suddenly, after a few minutes, Jack started calling for people to stand back from the Dome. Miranda poked her head out through the tent flaps to see what exactly she had planned. She watched Edi walk over to Jack as she was still an important part of the plan.

    Once everything was in place, everyone watched in quiet anticipation. They watched as the group of ten students, under orders from Jack, placed their open palms on the Dome wall. As their arms began to glow a pale blue, the size of the Dome decreased dramatically, allowing Edi to get in close and begin hacking Shepard's Omni-tool. After a while, the Dome began to buzz violently and flicker before vanishing completely. People continue to watch as the students turned, and held each other's hand. By aiming their free hands directly up, an incredible blast of pure energy tore into the sky and exploded high above, inside the stratosphere. The camp erupted in cries of joy and amazement. After confirming that her students were all still ok, Jack headed over to Miranda, a smug smile clearly evident across her face.

   "See Cheerleader. All you needed was us. I guess those perfect genes of yours or your 'biotic prowess doesn't always make up for everything. That biotic lance you saw had the same force of a blast from the Thanix cannon aboard a Turian dreadnought. Bloody awesome! Now go and rescue your heroic boyfriend." Jack said, patting Miranda on the back. Turning to her students, she continued. "Right guys! Anyone who can get me to a functioning open bar, gets free drinks for two hours."

   Seeing Jack being shadowed by her students, Miranda had to admit just how much Shepard seemed to have helped and change her. When they met originally, Jack was violent and a shut-in, now she was looking out for and teaching a class of biotic prodigies. She really had changed a lot. Suddenly, something hit Miranda. The Dome was finally down. Throwing her clipboard to the floor, she broke into a full sprint, headed for Shepard. As she leapt into the hole, she found Shepard immediately, lying directly in the middle. Cradling him in her arms, she inspected his condition. He looked worse than dead.

   He was pale skinned, looking almost skeletal. His familiar well-toned muscle had lost almost all mass, confirming Miranda's assumptions considering the impact of the amp use. Along his forehead, where his amps would have been, the skin had been burned and had turned black and charred. His right arm was gone, his feet had broken due to the fall and his armour had melted and fused to the surface of his body. Miranda almost cried, but her love for Shepard steeled her and she called out for the medical teams.

    Lifting him slowly using her biotics, Miranda placed Shepard carefully down on a nearby stretcher. As she watched him get quickly carted off to the sterile area in which they would operate on him, Miranda felt an intense happiness due to the fact that they had successfully recovered him. Although not all good things could last however because she soon felt an overbearing sense of dread after seeing Shepard's condition. Miranda was then pulled from her daydreams as she received a message, telling her that they had arrived at the war hospital near Big Ben, from Doctor Chakwas.

    Fearing for her boyfriend’s survival, Miranda felt her resolve harden and felt renewed. She had brought William back from the dead before in the name of Cerberus, in an effort to protect Humanity from being harvested. Now though, she would do it again for a different reason, a reason she felt much happier fighting for. This time she would do it for love. Sending a message to Chakwas, that she'd be there soon to help in Shepard's recovery, she hailed a military transport shuttle and headed for the hospital.

   "Hold in there William. For once, you stubborn bastard... Hold in there..." She thought.

 


	6. Chapter Six

Opening his eyes, Shepard looked around. He could see Stonehenge off in the distance. He recognised the area because he had been here once for his father's funeral. Sitting up, he realised that had both his arms, so he knew something was up. He took a minute and breathed in deep. The air was calm, warm and gentle. It made him want to relax. He could remember as well, back at the funeral that the weather had been terrible, so it all meant that he was not reliving a memory. Deciding to investigate, he urged himself up and slowly started making his way over to the landmark.

     While it seemed that Stonehenge had been far away, Shepard managed to reach its border in a few strides, further adding to the whole obscurity of the whole thing. Walking around the stones, he listened. Listened for someone or something who could explain where, or at the very least why, he was where he was.

     Shepard closed his eyes and leaned against a rock column. After a minute, he heard a twig snap and his instincts kicked in, attempting to put whoever nearby in a choke hold. What he didn't expect however, was to phase through his attempted victim and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Rolling onto his back, Shepard looked up and met the eyes of his father, Benedict. While it unnerved him at first, he also felt at peace, as though all were normal.

    "Hello there William. It's a pleasure to see you again." He said as he extended an arm down to help him up. Shepard started to get creeped out now because his father now felt solid and helped him up with ease.

   "What? But? How are we talking to one another?" Shepard asked, confused.

   "Well as of right now, you're fighting for your life. You did it though, kiddo. You beat the Reapers. I'm just happy I got the time to tell you just how proud I am." Benedict said.

   "I may have pulled the trigger, but I'm no hero. So many of my friends have died either protecting me or just because of a bad call on my part." Shepard retorted. He could feel the regret deep inside him.

   "What are you talking about? No one died regretting their actions. You are the galaxies' saviour. You cured the Genophage and got the Krogan aiding the Turians. You gave the Quarians, Rannoch back as well as brokering an alliance between them and the Geth. You have achieved more than any one human before you. Even before I died, you were doing this old soldier proud." Benedict said, the pride clear on his face.

    "Yeah well I've been selfish. I went to the Turians, watched Palaven burn. I tried to order them to give humanity aid. I didn't give a damn about them, only us. Same with the Krogan. I almost shot a friend in the back, just in order to receive Salarian aid in building the Catalyst. I almost doomed a species to extinction. Again, I'm selfish, self-centred and don't deserve even half the love and praise I'm constantly being showered in." Shepard shouted. He was now angry.

   Benedict came up and wrapped his arms around Shepard. Whenever Shepard got this kind of affection of his parents, he savoured it. He couldn't get it when he was younger as his parents were off on Tour with the Alliance. These moments were infrequent so he learned to enjoy them.

    "Thanks Dad... I really needed that." Shepard said, patting his father on the back.

    "Now then anything new to tell me?" Benedict asked.

   "Nothing really. Me and mom still miss you though..." Shepard replied.

  "I miss you guys too. I only wish that I got more time to talk to you before I died, but life aboard the Dubrovnik was busy and when your son is the first human spectre, you don't really get any time to talk." Benedict said, laughing.

   "Actually, how are things with you and that Williams girl I remember you telling me about on the Vid-calls?"

   "Ash? Oh well, things between me and her are history. We're still friends but the whole relationship thing with her is over. She actually seemed to be bunking up with another soldier that had been serving aboard the Normandy. A good lad by the name of James Vega. But anyway, I met someone after Ash though. She did used to work for Cerberus, but after finding out that they're a group of broken, twisted bastards, she quit and left them. She's a brilliant doctor, scientist and biotic user. Her name is Miranda Lawson and I still need to introduce her to Mom. I just hope that she's still ok?" Shepard said.

     "Wait... BACK from the dead? Life must have gotten a bit more adventurous without dear old dad around, huh?" Benedict said, laughing. Shepard soon joined him, it felt good.

    "Yeah well after Cerberus brought me back, I went and headed a private campaign to stop the Collectors. They actually turned out to be the twisted remains of the Prothean people. They had been harvesting and mulching Humans down to turn them into a massive human-looking Reaper. I can still remember just how horrified I was when I saw it. It never ended up on the report but I ended up vomiting after finding out what it was. In fact, most of the crew ended up going to see our in-crew therapist. She was busy for weeks. But even though I destroyed that place, I felt bad for Miranda. Turned out her boss lied to her and wanted me to keep the base intact. I told him where to stick the order and he ordered Miranda to kill me. She also told him to go fuck himself. I was surprised about it, but one thing I can tell you, is that Miranda is full of surprises." Shepard said, smiling at the end.

      "That reminds me of when I first met your mother. I know it's cliché but it was love at first sight for me. The only problem though was that she was always higher ranked then I was, so it took a while for me to muster the courage to tell her. I can see though that you really do love this Miranda. Benedict asked, curious.

     "More than I thought I could. I'm just sorry that I won't get to see her again. I wanted to properly tell her before all this happened, but we promised each other that we'd get out of this alive, and that we could do it then... I miss her..." Shepard whispered.

   Suddenly, both of them felt a tremor, it was followed soon after by another. Shepard looked to his father, who looked a bit disappointed.

   "Looks like our chat time is over. Congratulations William, you have cheated death a third time." Benedict said. Shepard looked worried and jumped slightly when Benedict suddenly swung his arms around his son again.

    "I love you son. Promise me you won't waste this chance. Tell your mother I love her and I hope to not see you again for a long time. Don't worry, we'll see each other again, just next time I hope it'll be the right time." Benedict said. Standing back, He have Shepard a salute.

     "Always a pleasure, Commander."

Returning the salute, Shepard said

     "Like wise staff-sergeant!"

Then all faded to black. Shepard could feel the rough blankets beneath him. Opening his eyes again, he started to become aware of his surroundings. He could hear his heart beat on the monitor and he could see an x-ray of what looked like a foot, hanging on the light box over on the wall. Looking to his right side, he could see that he seemed to have been fitted with a cybernetic prosthetic. Turning then to his left, he could see a saline drip as well as a blood transfusion machine. After a minute or so, a doctor entered the room. She had her raven hair tied up in a neat ponytail and she was wearing a shortened version of a traditional white Doctor's coat. Shepard recognised her immediately. Not realising how weak his voice was, he tried to call out. It was so quiet and peaceful where they were however that the volume really wasn't an issue.

  "...Miranda?"

    The sound of something fragile hitting the floor, rang through the room. She turned around and Shepard could see shock in her wide, sapphire eyes. She walked up close and for a moment, Shepard remembered back when he woke up in that Cerberus station and the first thing he saw, was her face. A smile began to creep onto both of their faces and Miranda slowly dragged her hand across Shepard's face as though she still wasn't sure that he was real. As Shepard took her slender hand in his, Miranda leaned down and kissed him. It was a small kiss but it had happiness, love and compassion behind it.

   "You came back... I can't believe it; you came back... You almost had me worried there, you ass..." Miranda whispered.

    "If there's one thing you can now count on Miri is that from now on I'll always come back to you. I love you." Shepard told her. Shepard slowly brought their hands up behind her head and slowly guided her head down so that he could kiss her back. They stayed like that for a short while. When they broke away, either was surprised to find the other had been crying. No words were spoken but between them, everything was clear.


	7. Chapter Seven

**-Miranda's POV**

 

News of Shepard waking up spread around quickly. People had been coming in to see him for days, many thanking him for ending the war or to give him gifts or to try and get photos taken. While Shepard never really minded it, Miranda would attempt to shoo the hordes away under the guise of 'he needing to rest' or 'Doctor's Orders'. It had helped though that she had taken over as his doctor, with Chakwas working closely as well.

    While Miranda had successfully been sending away the adoring fans, there were some people that couldn't be ignored. As the weeks passed, Shepard had been visited by Admiral Hackett, the former Council members and the press, looking for insight into the galaxies' hero. They had good news and bad news surrounding the remaining Reaper forces and the state of the other worlds and the restoration effort.

    One day, around two weeks ago, Miranda had been helping Shepard put on his Alliance dress blues. He was still going through physical therapy over his many injuries, but when aided, he could walk short distances. Sluggishly, he'd attempt to put his arm through the sleeves, before admitting defeat and continuing to get Miranda's help. Miranda had also dressed up for whatever occasion they were going to attend, Hackett refused to divulge any details to Shepard, so they didn't know what to expect. Miranda knew but she'd hate herself if she said anything. She had swapped her coat for a long black dress, that in Shepard's opinion, fit her perfectly. Her hair was down and she looked beautiful.

     "Any idea what this thing is about?" Shepard asked, while Miranda fixed his tie.

   "Not a clue. I'll have you know though., if I did, you couldn't get me to tell you. I've had interrogation training." Miranda replied. She planted a kiss on his lips.

    "You may have had training, but your poker face is terrible." Shepard said. He was smiling now. Miranda had a look of faked insult on her face. Suddenly, grabbing Shepard's tie again, Miranda fastened it a bit too tight. Pulling him close, she winked at him before whispering

   "You should know. There's nothing terrible about me..."

    Miranda loved that she could be like this with Shepard. When you're saving the galaxy or trying to find and kill your deranged father, it's quite hard to set the mood. Unfortunately, before they went any further, someone had come knocking. Miranda went to open the door, but Shepard stopped her, grabbed his cane and opened the door himself. James walked in, also wearing his dress blues, a polished N7 badge proudly adorning his lapel.

   "Come on Loco, shuttle's ready." He said, saluting his friend and C.O. Miranda wove her arm around Shepard's free arm and grabbed her purse that lay nearby on a table.

   "Well then Ms. Lawson. Are you ready to go?" He asked. Miranda nodded and they slowly made their way to the shuttle, Miranda laying her head on Shepard's shoulder. One thing that Miranda didn't know however is that Shepard had his own surprise for her, but he didn't want to let it slip. He knew that if he had it with him, Miranda would have found it, so he tasked Garrus with getting it next time he was on the Citadel. Upon finally reaching the roof, Shepard met a familiar face. Cortez was standing outside the Kodiak in a tuxedo. Shepard shook his hand as he climbed aboard.

   "Good to see you again, Shepard." Cortez beamed.

   "You too Cortez. It's great to see you again. I haven't seen you since I saw you get shot down." Shepard said, curiously.

   "Dumb luck really. When I crashed, the doors jammed. I was locked in, but everything else was locked out... Anyway, don't we have somewhere to be?" Cortez replied.

  He sat into the pilot's seat and James sat beside him. Shepard sat beside Miranda and laid his head on her shoulders. They sat there in blissful silence as the shuttle lifted and headed for the Citadel. The Citadel was still stationed over Earth as the restoration effort had been prioritised over moving the massive station back to the Widow system. Shepard winced in pain as the shuttle shook, leaving Earth.

   "Are you ok? What hurts?" Miranda asked, concerned.

   "Nothing really, just the shaking from breaking atmo... Just jostled me a bit." Shepard said

  "Alright, but don't forget that I'm here tonight for two reasons. Tonight I'm your doctor and your girlfriend. You can tell me what hurts and I'll do everything I can to help." Miranda said sternly, yet winking at the end. Shepard held onto her just that little bit more.

    "I'll be sure to do that..." Shepard added, kissing her on the lips.

   "I love you" He whispered.

   "I love you too." She whispered back before returning the kiss. After another few minutes, the shuttle entered the hanger, landing beside the Normandy.

    "When did the Normandy get here?" Shepard asked, confused.

  "They didn't have enough down in London to complete the repairs. They sent her here to be finished." Miranda told him as they headed for the nearby skycar. After another few minutes, they reached Shepard's apartment. They linked arms again before entering.

 

**-Shepard's POV**

 

Classical music was being played on the piano up on the mezzanine and everyone Shepard had hoped would be there, had arrived. Wrex had showed up, along with Eve and Grunt. Jacob and Bryn could be seen lounging in the corner, their daughter happily bouncing in her mother's lap. Jack, was chatting with Kasumi over by the fireplace and Garrus was relaxing on the couch with Tali. Hackett could also be seen, chatting with Chakwas, standing dead centre in the middle of the room.

   As they stood there in the doorway, James cleared his throat, trying to get everyone's attention. Everyone turned and cheered whilst simultaneously gathered around the couple. While gathered, they seemed to had left a path, leading directly to Hackett who had moved up the first flight of stairs. Miranda gave Shepard a quick kiss on the cheek and faded into the gathered crowd. Once Shepard reached the stairs, the applause died down and Hackett began to speak.

   "William Shepard. We stand before you today because you managed to achieve the impossible. You beat the Reapers and saved us all. You are one of a kind. You took the naysayers in your stride and came back from the dead twice. You stood up again to save our colonists from the collectors, despite the fact that the Alliance abandoned you, and for that I apologise. You've united species and buried long-burning hatchets. You ended wars and saved countless lives. You did your uniform, your race and your friends and family proud. It is due to your unmatched conduct and personal requests from the higher up's that I hereby promote you to the rank of Fleet Admiral. I know you miss him, but Anderson's looking down on you with pride. The honour however of giving you your bands falls to someone else." Hackett said, stepping to the side.

    The clatter of heels brought Shepard's attention to another admiral, slowly walking down the steps. Once she reached half-way, Shepard beamed from ear to ear. There stood Admiral Dana Shepard, his mother. She was smiling also, but Shepard could see it in her eyes that she was trying to scan over his injuries.

    Everyone watched as she slowly made her way down until she stood at eye-level with William. Pining the bands onto his shoulder pads, she kissed him and brought her hand up to salute him.

    "You don't realise how proud of you I am. I only wish Benedict could see this..." She said, tearing up " This party is for you. Congratulations Fleet Admiral Shepard." She said before walking off the stairs and joining the crowd. He could see her wipe the tears from her eyes. Shepard turned around slowly as he was still stiff.

    "Thank you all for coming to join me here tonight. I'm happy that the war is finally over but we must never forget the cost of our survival, so I ask for a few minutes of silence in respect for those that have passed." Shepard said, bowing his head. After a few minutes, Shepard lifted his head again.

   "Now go and enjoy yourselves."

The party continued for about four hours. Due to diplomatic reasons, Shepard would still see most of them again soon, but still it was sad to say goodbye to Tali and Garrus who had been the last to leave. After Shepard activated the security, he found Miranda lounging near the fire. She seemed to find the embers very interesting.

     As he slid in beside her, she seemed to cuddle in closer without a word. Shepard had received the ring from Garrus earlier and could feel it burning a hole in his pocket. Deciding now or never, he pushed away from Miranda, startling her.

   "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Miranda asked, clearly worried.

   "Yes I am. I hurt when I see you leave my room at night. I feel numb when we're separated for any length of time and I felt something inside me die, when I thought Henry had killed you. I love you Miranda Lawson. I don't want to feel that pain again. I want to protect you. To stand beside you as we face our enemies together. are up next to you and grow old with you..." Shepard said, kneeling down. Opening the velvet box to reveal a glistening platinum band, topped with a diamond, he continued. Miranda stared, wide eyed and speechless.

    "Miranda Isolde Lawson, will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

  Miranda said nothing. Her usually tactful brain had frozen and she couldn't talk. All she could do was extend a shaky right arm. Taking this as a yes, Shepard grabbed her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. Miranda lifted her hand to examine the ring, watching the flames dancing in the diamond.

    "It also has an inscription. Look at the inside of it." Shepard told her.

   Miranda didn't want to, but she took the ring off and turning the ring towards the light, she read the inscription aloud.

 'To the perfect woman from the Commander'

   Tears began to well up in Miranda's eyes and she wrapped her arms around Shepard's neck before planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

   "I love it William... It's beautiful. I love it and I love you. Of course I'll marry you, if the tears weren't obvious enough..." Miranda said before Shepard kissed her again.

   I'm happy to hear that. I love you too Miri, but now let's rest. I'm beat.

As Shepard drifted off later that night, Miranda couldn't sleep. Fascinated with the ring, she turned the band on her finger.

     "Miranda Isolde Shepard... I like the sound of that..." She thought. One thing she didn't know though was that would be the end of their peaceful time together for a while.


	8. Chapter Eight

Tuchanka was the busiest it had been in a long while. After word of the Genophage cure got around, hundred upon thousands of battle-hardened Krogan all returned to their home world in hopes of getting cured. As Clan Urdnot quickly established itself as the dominant Clan on Tuchanka, their numbers grew exponentially. Half due to their growing fame, half due to the massive population boom that came with curing the sterility virus. While Wrex and Eve were leading Clan Urdnot and by extension, Tuchanka itself, they had been forced to attend peace and unity talks all over Tuchanka in order to unite the various clans peacefully. While Eve was content attending the talks, Wrex believed in the more enjoyable method of forcefully shutting up anyone who had a suggestion, but still tried his best to curb the anger and annoyance he felt when having not shot something in no less than a day. Now though, he was childishly happy, running through the streets of a former Krogan city, clearing out the entrenched remainder of the Reaper forces.

    "HAHA! This is what I love! The adrenaline and sheer excitement that comes from battle! I am Krogan! I am Clan Urdnot! I... " Wrex shouted, almost song-like.

  "Wrex! Would you shut up or I'll feed you to Kalros myself!" Wreav shouted at him. Wrex stared at him as he buried his Claymore shotgun in the head of a husk, blowing it clean off the monster's shoulders.

    "Don't forget who’s the Clan leader here, Wreav! Plus, after that Reaper, I'd say she's probably suffering from Indigestion. She'd just spit me back out!" Wrex shouted, following with loud, hearty laughter.

   After another few minutes of battling the masses, a truck showed up and stopped before the two krogan brood brothers. Eve climbed out, followed by Grunt and the newly reformed Arlakh company.

     "Wrex! We're needed back at the Clan Grounds. Something big has come up!" Eve shouted at him.

   "Can you not see I'm having fun! It couldn't be that important." Wrex said, bringing a Krogan hammer down on the head of a Ravager.

    "Wrex... It's about the Rachni."

      "What about the Rachni? Shepard told me he released her so that they could try and live in peace, out in dark space?" Wrex questioned.

     "Well there is an Asari commando named Ariachni back at camp, claiming to be an ambassador for the queen, says she wants to make peace with the Krogan, apologise for the pain caused during the Wars..." Eve told him, climbing back aboard the truck. As Wrex followed her, he shouted

    "Grunt. Finish the clean-up and meet me back at camp!"

        Grunt replied by throwing his arm up in the air in obvious excitement. Grunt reminded Wrex of his younger days... back when his father tried to kill him while standing on sacred grounds... and he ended dying... Ahh the good ole' days! As the truck drove on, Wrex began to receive messages from scouts, sending news of a possible Rachni invasion based from Clan Urdnot's Clan grounds. Reports followed of Clans converging on the grounds preparing for an assault. Slamming his hand on his head plate, he thought to himself,

   "Damn it Shepard... What have you gotten me into..." 

 

\---

 

 

Palaven had been one of the quickest to recover after the war, and yet the once-bustling planet still had a long way to go before anyone could say they have a 'normal' life living there. Reaper forces still roamed the streets and vast countryside. Corpses were still piled high and the death count had yet to stop increasing by the hundreds. 

    In the Capital city of Cipritine, a group of Turians led by Solana Vakarian, was scouring the city for any sign of further conflict or any survivors that somehow managed to escape the ruthless slaughter. As they walked the silent streets, the tension began to rise between the squad mates. No one knew each other and the group had been quickly set up, not one hour earlier, in an effort to dispatch ground troops to retake the cities. As Solana had self-proclaimed herself as group leader, she had taken point and was scanning the streets looking for any movement. Behind her were two assault troopers named Lyris and Anaya Ryx, a medic named Hannibal, and far in the back was a sniper named Bol Tux. They didn't trust each other but they all knew that one weak link could mean all them dead if they were caught off guard and none of them had any plans to die today.

   As they stopped in what seemed like a city square, Solana signalled to the Ryx sisters to sweep and make sure that the area was secure. As they did so, Solana lay her own Widow rifle down on a nearby bench and stretched out her arm, trying to loosen out the stiff muscles in her shoulder. Hannibal came up behind her. For a medic, he was deathly quiet and at times, Solana wondered was it a case of him having already received sniper training before becoming a medic as he was as precise with a rifle as he was with a needle or pair of tweezers.

    "I've some anti-inflammatory meds with me if you want them. Can't really use a rifle with a bad shoulder." He said.

   "I'll be fine!" Solana said, shrugging him off.

  "Suit yourself..." He replied walking away. The air was quiet and eerie. Solana took a look around her and found that they had stopped beside a memorial from the First Contact War.

    "Our most famous introduction as far as they go..." Bol said, resting against the memorial beside her. He smirked slyly to which Solana replied with a light chuckle.

    "Yeah... I can still remember my grandfather’s story from that war. My brother's best friend is a human. I'm pretty sure you've heard of him. You know Commander Shepard? Though actually Garrus told me it's Fleet Admiral Shepard now. It was kind of hard to imagine when he told me first. My grandfather couldn't believe it and my dad couldn't or didn't care." Solana told him.

   Just as Bol was about to continue, Anaya came on over the comms, out of breath, telling them that they had stumbled into a huge group of husks and cannibals and that she and Lyris were falling back on the square. Grabbing her rifle, Solana followed Bol up onto a sniper’s perch, where they both had a clear view of the chokepoint that Anaya and Lyris would drag the husks through. Popping the heat sink, Solana primed her Widow and took aim. 

    First it was Anaya who came through. She jumped over a set up barricade and tried to catch her breath. Lyris followed and then the husks and Cannibals came through. The twins couldn't fight for a minute until they caught their breath so it was up to Solana and Bol, plus their set traps to protect the others until they could join in on the fun. It seemed promising and the horde began to diminish. That was though up until two Brutes showed themselves and in an unstoppable charge took out the supports of the perch bringing Solana and Bol crashing to the ground. As the Brute lifted its hefty claw up over Solana's head, she feared that this was it. Praying to the Spirits, she closed her eyes before the miniature battlefield was covered in brilliant white. The Brute didn't seem interested in her anymore and lumbered off. Taking this as a sign, Solana ran and attached a small explosive to the brutes exposed spine. She ran away just as the explosion killed the brutes and the shuttle overhead killed the rest of the husks.

     As the shuttle landed, Solana and the others stood at attention, despite their painful injuries. As the door opened, Solana was shocked to see who got out. Recognising him from the Galactic News and Palaven news Networks as the brilliant General that led the troops at Menae, Corinthus slowly walked over to them, stopping when he reached Solana.

    "Lt. Solana Vakarian?" He asked.

    "Yes sir! Thanks for that assist back there. You saved my life." She replied, slightly awestruck

    "You and your team are to come with me to the Turian Hierarchy Building. Primarch's Orders." He said, gesturing towards the shuttle. The Ryx sisters were too happy to climb aboard to rest from the previous ordeal. Following them aboard, Solana sat and stared out a window at the broken planet before her.

   "How could we have prepared for something like this?" Solana asked, her mandibles twitching with obvious rage.

   "I asked myself the same question on Menae. But I never lost hope then and I won't do so now either." Corinthus told her.

    "So all we need is faith and a whole lotta glue..." She thought to herself.

 

\---

 

Sur'kesh was bustling with activity. While STG teams and hordes of scientists were combing through the Reaper hordes, there were also something amazing going on. Fighting among the Salarians were krogan. While they were slow to accept their help at first, over time the Krogan proved themselves to be the help that was needed. Shepard, in talking with Wrex, had persuaded the Krogan Clan chief to send troops to the Salarians as a symbol of unity and as a hope to portray the Krogan in a more mature and positive light. When the first pair of Krogan boots set foot on the Salarian home world, it was a moment for the history books, a sign that even ages old conflicts could be buried for good.

      A rather excitable Salarian scientist named Lei Solas was attempting to simultaneously kill and record samples from the reaper forces. He was the nephew of Doctor Mordin Solas, and had returned to Sur'kesh in an effort to help beat back the reapers but his scientific mind had him collect samples as he went along. He was combing through an STG base that had been destroyed by Cerberus and eventually came to rest in a small room that seemed to be a store room of sorts. Sitting on a storage crate, he brought up his Omni-tool and started combing through his gathered research.

    "OH husks... too weak as one, disastrous as many... Brutes act as mobile walls, yet can still be taken down if shot in right areas... Banshees too loud... sad fate for Ardat-yakshi... cannibals just plain creepy..." He said to himself. Apparently as he hung around his uncle when he was young, he picked up his erratic speech behaviours and also seemed to act quite like Mordin. He stopped and stretched.

    "Must stretch... running from danger highly probable..." he said out loud. An explosion rocked the base.

    "This is a good example for why one must stay in shape... Must try and make it obvious to STG soldiers... those guys never listen... then complain when they pull a muscle..." He thought.

   Picking up his talon pistol, he left his temporary haven and went out to further search the base.

    "I'm happy I didn't leave this research opportunity go to waste. Notes will be invaluable..." He said, as he ran deeper inside the base.

 

\---

 

As far as the other home worlds went, Thessia was by far the worst. After the scandal surrounding the Prothean beacon had been made known, the other races began to shun the Asari. Galaxy wide, on all their colony worlds the other races refused to give them any help in their rebuild effort and now the Asari High Command were desperate. The absence of any aid meant that they couldn't rebuild their cities, their soldiers began to be overwhelmed on the front lines and their economy had begun to deteriorate dramatically.

    While initially against it, the councillor had been forced to stand before the gathered public in the Citadel chambers and explain the actions of the Asari government. Why they kept the information a secret, why they always intended to be above the other races, and whether or not they actually believed in the truces and alliances that they had made with the other races up until now. The most sophisticated species in the Milky Way were downtrodden and looked down on.

     Asari Councillor Tevos sat in her office in Citadel tower, going over reports sent from political leaders from all over the galaxy, surrounding the Prothean beacon. She was sick of it at this stage and was practically just skimming over the same repeated words over and over again.

'Disgrace... political shitstorm.... public announcement... resignation...'

  As she skimmed through the e-mails, she finally came upon an email simply titled 'From a mutual friend'. Opening the email, it contained a contact for an unknown person. Deciding that her position couldn't really get worse if someone found out about this mystery transmission, she tried to connect the call. After a few minutes, the hologram of Fleet Admiral Shepard stood in front of her. While she had been thankful to Shepard for saving her from Saren, the Geth, Sovereign and for defeating the Reapers, it was because of him that the Asari were in this mess. He was the one who leaked the information in the first place.

    "Hello Tevos. How are you?" Shepard asked.

   "Hello Shepard. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked, as kindly as she could muster.

    "Well as you obviously know, the Asari aren't exactly seen in a positive light at the moment. Well I am calling to invite you, as I have Valern and Sparatus to a council summit here on Earth in three weeks’ time. After the Reaper war, and now the beacon scandal, the general populace doesn’t look to the council the same way anymore. There at the summit, will we will openly discuss the various secrets that each race seem to be holding from each other. It is only then that we will be able to either repair Alliances and help each other heal, or we will disband the current Council and elect a new one. One built on stronger morals and we will put counter measures in place so that this won't happen again." Shepard said, seriously.

    Tevos knew that really, this summit might be the only way to help her people. She hated that her once proud people had been beaten with such a swift move, but she agreed regardless.

    "Ok Shepard. We'll see you at your summit. Goddess hope that this doesn't start another war..." She said.

    "We can only hope so, Councillor. Good bye." Shepard said, hanging up the call.

Returning to her personal terminal, Tevos opened the public communication channel and sighed.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short Chapter that I made on Shepherd's Official Birthday!

Shepard was lying on his hospital bed, pouring over reports. Since his promotion, he had been receiving stacks of reports almost daily, depicting the state that the galaxy was currently lying in. It was bad, but steadily improving. Shepard wished however that he was off doing anything else with Miranda however. She had been sent to Australia to try and document the Reaper remains and the tech they left behind. But today was special, it was Shepard's birthday and he had no one to spend it with. His mother had sent the Orizuba to defend Cerberus HQ, in case any of their remaining forces attempted to reclaim the station. They were also trying to figure out how they indoctrinated their soldiers and to see whether or not the process is reversible.

     As he sat there, he stopped for a minute and stared outside the window. Looking through the glass, he saw the sun beginning to break over the horizon. He didn't realise that he had been up all night, he didn't feel like he had, but that could also be due to the copious amount of coffee that he had been drinking recently. He went back to the reports.

    "What a HAPPY birthday this seems like it's going to be..." He thought to himself. Suddenly, his Omni-tool began to go off. He was getting a call. Checking the ID, he saw that it was Miranda, which brought a smile to his face. As he accepted the call, the sight of her cheered him up even more.

    "Happy 35th birthday, William. I hope you're still ok? Nothing much going on here, just clearing the streets, collecting tissue and cybernetic samples... you know, normal stuff." Miranda said, smiling

    "Well, I'm sure after the war, it was unanimously decided that 'normal' was to be given a new definition. But yeah, same here. Thanks for the wishes though. Just wish that you were here with me. I might see if Garrus is free?" He replied. After a while, they were still talking,

   "I'm sorry William but I have to go. Scientific pursuits, no matter how gruesome, wait for no one. Have a good Birthday though William. Ask anyone and they'll all tell you the same thing. You damn well deserve it." She said, blowing him a kiss.

Just then, four soldiers came into the room, carrying a armour case. Shepard was confused, and looked to Miranda.

    "What? I never said I didn't get you anything. Enjoy. And remember what the doctor says, no intense action or any biotic use until we repair those amps in your head... I love you." Miranda told him, before hanging up the call.

   Rather excitedly, Shepard grabbing his cane, swung his legs out from under the blanket. He rubbed his knees as they were sore from overuse and yet at the same time, they were tense due to underuse as well. Standing up, he walked over to the case, its HUD coming on as the sensors took notice. Pressing a thumb against a small screen, he could hear a small vacuum unseal and then the case, slowly opened. The armour was almost as beautiful as Miranda. It was solid black, carbon fibre plates with titanium plates pupils in for maximum security. It was polished with white and orange accents running down along the entire body. His fleet admiral rank could be seen on the shoulder pads while his spectre insignia as well as his Alliance and N7 insignia were all together, lining the left pec on the chest plate. Around the waist, there were symbols from every species throughout the Milky Way depicting Galactic unity. His Omni-tool pinged with a message, detailing the enhancements that the armour provided. It had an on-board trauma module to monitor vital signs, a constant connection to the Normandy, a biotic enhancement amp to strengthen his attacks and it was also air conditioned. There was also a small cabinet on the door of the case. Opening it, revealed a Harrier rifle that had Alliance insignia rather than Cerberus symbols. It had a magazine capacity upgrade and it was as light as a feather. On the stock, it was engraved, 'Aegis'. Finding a note attached, handwritten by Miranda, judging by the grace of the penmanship, it simply read,

 

  _'Heard you lost your rifle on the charge to the conduit. Here's Aegis. Custom built with practicality and love in mind. Look after her and she'll look after you, for me, when I can't._

_-Miranda._

 

Shepard felt a tightness in his chest. His heart was pumping loudly in his ears. He felt that numb pain again, being away from Miri. He made a vow then, to never leave Miranda's side. To protect her above all else. He felt something on his cheek. Rubbing it off, he found out that he was crying. Suddenly, Garrus came in, rifle slung on his shoulder, and a case of alcohol in his hands.

    "Happy Birthday, Shepard! Nice new armour. Where'd you get it?" He wondered.

    "Birthday gift from Miranda. Can’t wait to see how it fits! Thanks for the wishes by the way. What do you have there?" Shepard replied, replacing Aegis in the cabinet.

    "Thought we could get out and do something fun. I can still remember the stories my dad used to tell me about his own armour. My mom got him a custom set for their anniversary and he told me on that day, he fell in love with her, all over again." Garrus told him.

   "I think I can understand where he's coming from... and I'll take you up on that offer. I'd love to go do something. The reports can wait." Shepard said, grabbing his pants off the hanger in his closet. Once he was dressed, he followed Garrus out into the fresh air.


	10. Chapter Ten

Shepard was still in hospital. While he was physically getting stronger, the over used amps, plus the prosthetic and broken appendages still kept him on bed rest and required him to attend various sessions of Physical therapy. One day however, Hackett called, wanting to address an important matter. Shepard had been attempting use of his prosthetic as Hackett called. His therapist said her goodbyes before Hackett had even opened his mouth.

   "Hello Admiral. Since when have you started making calls to healing soldiers?" He asked, saluting.

   "Shepard. We're equal rank now. I'm not your boss anymore and plus, we've been in the foxhole so many times at this stage, we should have dropped the formalities long ago." Hackett said. Extending his arm, he offered a handshake, which Shepard accepted.

    "Good to see you're getting your strength back... How are you by the way? Hackett asked.

   "Good, all things considered. Miranda said I'm here until I get control over my arm and up until they replace the amps in my head, but we're hopeful that I'll be out in a month. While I'm grateful for the visit Hackett, why not tell me what you're really here to talk about." He said, leaning back.

   "Can an old soldier not call and see the son of his best friend. Me and Benedict were thick as thieves growing up in the Alliance." He said, laughing.

   "Well yes, but you must be so busy right now trying to get the Alliance back in shape. Why call to me?" Shepard asked. Just then, the door slid open and a communications officer walked in, holding a monitor in his hand.

    "Admiral Shepard? We received a message from one Specialist Miranda Lawson from an FOB in Sydney, Australia. She wishes for you to contact her at your earliest convenience. She says its regarding her mission." He said, before pivoting on his heels and leaving the two admirals alone. There was a heavy silence for a moment, before Hackett started talking again.

    "Ok Shepard, I admit there was another reason I called in to see you. I've been coordinating with the other races and we've decided to come together and form a militia of sorts. It would involve all the other Milky Way species and it would look after affairs all over the galaxy. It'd be allied with every military and would receive funding from all sources. I'm telling you this because after a unanimous vote, you were placed in charge of this task force. We're calling it Coalition. I'll be back to talk to you about it again, but congratulations. This is a monumental moment and a true sign of galactic unity." Hackett said, heading for the door.

   "One moment Admiral. Me and Specialist Lawson are a team. I take it that there is still time to refuse the position? Well, I will bring it up with her. If she agrees, I will contact you in two days’ time to set up a meeting. If she disagrees, I'm sorry, but I will also refuse to take part in this task force." Shepard told him, a look of seriousness in his eyes. Hackett nodded in acknowledgement.

   "I'll see you again Admiral. Rest up." Hackett said, as the door closed behind him. Shepard looked down at the band on his finger.

   "We're a team Miri. We either do this together or not at all." He thought. Suddenly he remembered that he was to call Miranda. Bringing up his Omni-tool, he tried to call her. After a short few minutes, her familiar face came into view and Shepard relaxed, knowing that she was still ok.

   "Hey Miranda. How's Sydney?" Shepard asked.

   "Oh well, you know... Sun... Sea... Rolling beaches... and mounds of zombified husks roaming the streets... How's London?" She asked.

   "Pretty much the same, Only no sea, sun, and sand... What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, curious.

    "I didn't really need to talk to you about the mission, just wanted to hear and see you. They wouldn't have let me see the most famous Admiral in the galaxy if I said that 'his fiancée was bored and wanted to see him', even if she is his doctor..." She said, a sly smirk across her face. Shepard laughed.

    "Well I'm happy you decided to give the small white lie. Hey Miri? Are you going to be in Sydney for much longer?" He asked.

    "Yeah... until at least a week from Tuesday. Why?" She replied, slightly concerned.

   "Hackett informed me about something. I need to discuss it with you. It's urgent. I'll get on a shuttle and meet you there. Plus, Edi and Joker have been meaning to go down south." He said.

    "No you won't! Do you not remember that your doctor placed you on bed rest while your legs finish healing?" Miranda retorted.

    "Well, I overruled that order. I'll see you soon..." Shepard said, before ending the call. Climbing out of his bed, Shepard put on his trousers and slung his leather jacket up on his shoulder. Placing his Carnifex in his hip holster, he grabbed his cane and walked out to the Comm technician.

   "Could you call a shuttle? I want to go to the Docking bays." Shepard asked. The technician did as he was asked and within twenty minutes, Shepard was standing outside a fully repaired Normandy that had been sent back to Earth. Shepard felt an overwhelming sense of pride in his ship. While this version had been built by Cerberus, the spirit of the Normandy had been with him before the whole business with the reapers even started.

   As he approached the sky gate, the soldiers watching the entrance, scrambled to get in line as they saw Shepard approach. The all saluted him as he walked by, but he told them all to be at ease and that they could get aboard as he was taking the Normandy to Australia on a mission. As they walked aboard, Edi's familiar voice came on over the intercom, alerting the crew that the C.O was aboard. On board however, they were shocked to see what was going on between Joker and Edi.

    Edi was sitting on the armrests of the pilot's chair to avoid breaking Joker's pelvis and they were kissing passionately. While it warmed his heart to see them together, he quickly realised that the soldiers that had come aboard were watching them with their eyes wide and mouths agape. Shepard cleared his throat, which caused the soldiers to come back to their senses. They made so much noise that Edi jumped slightly, falling and since she had such a hold on Joker, he had been pulled down with her. As he ended up on top of her, she chuckled and then Joker started laughing. Telling the soldiers to report to their stations, he helped Joker off the ground.

    "Shepard! I'm happy to see you back up again. What are you doing here?" Joker asked.

    "We're headed for Sydney, Australia. Officially, we're helping with the reclamation effort. Un-officially, we're a really nice taxi service." Shepard said, keeping his voice low.

    Joker turned and started to fiddle with the controls. After a few seconds the Drive Core came online and soon Adams was over the intercom asking what was going on. Shepard informed him that they were headed to Australia, to which Adams simply replied that it was good to see him aboard the Normandy again.

    Joker opened the comms and asked for the docking clamps to be disengaged. The docking official asked what was going on as they hadn't the Normandy on any of the departure manifests. Shepard, giving his name, rank and registration, cleared that up quickly and soon they were on their way.

    Landing in Sydney, roughly twenty minutes later, Shepard headed for the FOB while his crew either followed him to the FOB or went about helping in reclaiming the city. Joker and Edi had other plans however and after Shepard gave them the key, decided to retire to Shepard's quarters as there, they would have the most privacy.

       Miranda watched as she saw the shuttle land. She'd have to talk to Shepard about this. Taking the Normandy for some sort of Taxi, just to talk to her when she'd only be away for roughly another 12 days. Leaving hospital in spite of his condition and all just to talk to her. She wouldn't admit it but she liked the idea of her fiancée travelling around the world to see her, but she wouldn't falter. She was not happy.

    As soon as Shepard stood off the shuttle however, she lightened up when she saw the look on his face. He looked blissfully happy as she limped over toward her and embraced her, burying his face in her long, raven locks. She hugged him back and directed him over to her personal tent, and they sat inside.

    "Ok... What the hell is so important that you needed to travel all the way here for?" Miranda asked.

   "Well, Hackett came to me while I was in hospital and told me that I was to be put in charge of a collaborative multi-race militia called the Coalition. I told him that since we were a team, I wouldn't do it without you. So I came down here to ask whether you wanted to do it or not?" He replied, smiling slightly.

    "You travelled down here... In a warship.... to ask a question?! You could have called me!" Miranda sternly pointed out. Shepard pouted.

    "Well, if I did, I couldn't do this!" He said, as he snaked his arm around Miranda's waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

  "I missed you, you know. A lot" he whispered.

   Miranda missed him just as much, but after returning the kiss she didn't realise she badly wanted, she mentally shook herself. 'Damn it Miri, you're angry with him... ah damn, he's doing that cute thing with his eyes...' she thought.

  "What are the specifics about this 'Coalition' then? Where would we be based? Funding? What would the work include?" Miranda asked, swatting Shepard to get him to stop the puppy dog eyes.

   "I don't know where we'd be based but the funds, missions and personnel would be a total collaborative effort. We'd be connected to every military in the galaxy but that's as far as my own knowledge goes. I told Hackett that if you decide to come aboard, that we'd set up a meeting in two days’ time to go over the specifics. So what do you say?" Shepard asked.

    "It sounds tempting... OK! I'll do it. Set up the meeting, but where will we hold it?" Miranda inquired.

    "Well Joker told me that they have to run some stress tests to make sure the Normandy is in full working order, so how about then? I'd rather be on my ship talking about it then discussing military issues from my hospital bed..." Shepard said.

    "Perfect! Well now that the business is taken care of, how are you? Oh! I was talking to Ori and she agreed to be my Maid of honour. Well that was after she stopped screaming and her voice came back into audible range. Who are you going to ask to be your best man... Oh wait, I think I know." Miranda said, arching an eyebrow.

    "What? Me and Garrus made a pact a while back. I'd be his best man and he'd be mine. We made it while we were seeing who could hold the most liquor but we decided to keep it all the same." Shepard said, smiling.

    "How about we return to the Normandy. I'd like to see some of the gang again." Miranda wondered. Shepard happily agreed.

  Walking out, they called a shuttle and within a couple minutes, were outside the Normandy's main entrance way. The door slid open as Edi told any crew members that the C.O was aboard. Strangely, the cockpit was empty and there didn't seem to be a soul aboard. Shepard headed for the lift and took it up a level to where his quarters were. He hadn't been here since the Normandy had been repaired, so he wasn't sure if it had changed or not.

   As the door opened, Shepard and Miranda walked in to see Joker and Edi cuddled up on his couch. Edi was the first to notice and quickly stood up, slowly followed by Joker. Edi walked up and hugged Miranda before turning to Shepard,

    "Admiral, If I could ask you for a favour?"

    "No problem Edi. What is it?"

    "I would like you to wed Jeff and I."


	11. Chapter Eleven

Miranda took a step back in disbelief while Shepard just walked up to Edi, congratulating her on the proposal. Joker laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.

  "Of course I will Edi! Congratulations! I'm flattered but why ask me in the first place though?" Shepard asked.

    "Come on Shepard! Do you know of a single minister out there would actually marry a man to, what he's forced to describe as his mobility assist mech? They'd sooner lock me up and attempt to scrap Edi..." Joker exclaimed.

    "As well as that Admiral, I've accessed historical records aboard the Normandy and I found a file describing marriages throughout human history. At one point, as ships were almost seen as their own private nation, it was the captain of said vessel, that had the authority over everything, including legal marriages of his or her crew members." Edi interjected.

    "Well Miranda? How do you feel about helping me hold a wedding? It'll be a good practise run for our own..." Shepard asked.

    Miranda still stood there, shocked. Edi walked up and placing her hands on Miranda's shoulders, she began to talk to her.

    "While I guess, Ms. Lawson, that you may not believe that what I and Jeff has is real, but it feels real to the both of us. I, for once can say without the need to think about anything, that I love Jeff. Maybe it started when he unshackled me or maybe it happened over the time where it'd just be the two of us, alone, but while the Admiral was fighting to get back to you, I was fighting so that I could protect Jeff against the darkness. Against the fate that the reapers had planned for all life in this galaxy. So I ask, as a personal favour between us, would you please help me marry my best friend..."

  Miranda nodded after a second and gave Edi a hug.

   "I'm sorry Edi. Shepard's right. Congratulations!"

So while Shepard got Joker ready, Miranda went looking after Edi. While Joker borrowed an old tuxedo belonging to Shepard, Edi had borrowed a white dress belonging to Miranda that she had stashed in Shepard's room for formal emergencies. Edi styled her own hair by adapting the Ferro-fluid from which it was made and was ready in no time. Since the Normandy was empty, they decided that they'd hold the ceremony up on the bridge so that they could have a wedding procession of sorts.

     Shepard stood before the bridge of the Normandy, wearing the same tuxedo that he'd worn to Donovan Hock's party all that time ago. Beside him was Joker, who seemed to be nervous. After a short while, the wedding march played softly over the intercom and Joker stared as Edi slowly walked up to the 'altar'. She caught him staring and chuckled a little. When she reached the top, using a gloved hand, she closed Joker's mouth and had him stand up straight. They laughed before Shepard began.

    "Dearly beloved. We are here tonight before these two, to witness them declare their love for each other. Do you, Jeff Moreau, take Edi to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, for rich or for poorer, 'til death do you part?"

 "I do!"

"And do you, Edi, take Jeff Moreau to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, 'til death do you part?"

"I do!" 

"Well is there anyone present who does object to this union? If there is, speak now or forever keep your peace."

  Shepard took the rings from his breast pocket. He held them in front of joker and Edi, who each took one with excitement.

    "Well then, place the rings on each other's finger and then say your vows to one another." Shepard said.

     "Edi, I'm usually a man of very few, and mostly stupid words. I can fall apart if someone so much as coughs on me and all I'm good for is either flying star ships or breaking my limps at things. I've made a lot of stupid choices in my life but unshackling you was definitely one of the smartest things I've ever done. I love you, now and forever." Joker said, placing the ring on her finger.

    "Jeff... I am a computer at heart. Once, I was seen as nothing more than a bunch of one's and zero's, but the time that I've spent with you has shown me what it's like to be human. How to laugh, how to cry, how to be happy, how to be sad. The Illusive man can try all he likes to program that into A. I’s, but it is to be experienced, it cannot be taught. Thank you Jeff, I love you now and forever." Edi replied before repeating Joker's previous action.

      "Well then, by the power vested in me by the Alliance Navy and Council Spectres, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Shepard said. 

       Miranda began clapping from the back as Joker and Edi, embraced each other in loving embraces, kissing passionately. As Shepard stood beside Miranda, he leaned over and whispered to her.

   "If you can wait... Just a little while longer and that’ll be us up there."

  Miranda looked Shepard dead in the eye. Her own showing the unmistakable sign of affection to which Shepard had begun to notice more and more recently. Wrapping herself in his arms as they both stared at the newlyweds, she whispered back.

   "I can't wait..."


	12. Chapter Twelve

The Normandy was docked at a checkpoint set up just on the edge of the Sol System. The mass relays had been mostly repaired but they were still monitoring ships coming and going through as a safety precaution. It was here that Shepard was personally greeting the various military dignitaries onto the Normandy so that they could discuss the state and specifics around the task force and other military matters. He was surprised to see them present, but there were representatives of almost every race, after showing up to attend the talks. After everyone had arrived, Shepard and Miranda boarded the Normandy, heading for the board room. Traynor was there as well as she had opted to stay aboard the Normandy as Shepard's personal ensign, a request that Shepard gratefully accepted. 

    As the Normandy continued its stress tests through the various Nebulae, the talks continued. Hours passed and no progress was made. While the alliances between the races, in various manners were advantageous, trust still wasn't very strong between the dignitaries as each other fought to get their respective race superiority over the other species. Shepard sat at the top of the table, with Miranda sitting on his right and Samantha, on his left. Down along the newly fitted board table sat the dignitaries as they shouted, argued and complained about various manners. Shepard and Miranda shared the occasional glance between them and held hands underneath the table. It was common knowledge that they were in a relationship together but they still needed to show that they were capable of being professional. Shepard would be put in charge of Coalition with Miranda as his second, but this talk was to establish who would join the task force and where their resources, missions and their headquarters would be set up. After thirty minutes of almost constant arguing, William began to get frustrated. As he wasn't fully healed, the pain from his own personal injuries were adding to his frustration and he quickly began to lose his patience.

         Shepard looked down and could feel that Miranda was squeezing his hand tight, trying to offload her own frustration as well as try and keep him calm. After another thirty minutes of arguing, Joker came up over the intercom, calling the Admiral and XO up to the bridge. Both Shepard and Miranda were all too optimistic to leave the politicians arguing, leaving Traynor to an unfortunate fate of being the only bridge between Shepard's interests and the outcome of Coalition.

     As Shepard and Miranda reached the bridge, Joker swung his seat around, looking somewhat fearful.

   "What's the problem, Joker?" Shepard asked, picking up on his obvious discomfort.

   "Long range scanners aren't working. Comm buoys for miles are offline and for some reason, even the radar is fried. We're flying, but for some reason, we're flying blind." Joker told him.

    "How'd that happen? We were just in for repairs!" Miranda stated, frustratingly.

   "Jeff? I can detect off the short range scanners that we are approaching an asteroid field. We should be careful." Edi said, aloud.

  Joker swung back around, his fingers flowing gracefully over the warship's flight controls. Looking out through the front visor, Shepard could see the asteroid field coming at them fast. It looked like it didn't end. After a short few minutes, the asteroids seemed to be hitting the hull of the Normandy quite frequently and soon, Traynor was cast out of the discussions, sent to bring the Admiral back.

    "The Volus ambassador has begun to lay underneath the table, shouting that assassins are trying to come and get him. The others are calling the Volus, cowards and they're all still arguing. I swear I don't know how anything gets sorted around here. They're always shouting." Traynor said, putting a hand to her temple.

    "I'm sorry about all this, Sam. They're frustrating me too but we need to remember that up until the war, a lot of them were fighting each other, so naturally things would still be quite cold between them. But, yes, I'd be inclined to agree with you." Shepard said, turning to Miranda.

    "Miri, can you hold down the bridge for a while? I'll see if I can go and quieten them or at least get them to stop arguing. Message me if there is anything big... Ok?" Shepard said, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I've been waiting a while to do that..." He whispered.

    "Roger that Admiral!" She said, smirking. As Miranda turned back around, she changed. Going from playful to stern, sweet to calculating and it was so sudden, that Joker was now scared for his life, be it that he upset her.

    "Bring us through the field carefully, Joker. Edi, keep an eye on the scanner, we don't want to be outflanked out here." Miranda commanded.

  The board room was, for once, silent. As Shepard walked in, he was tackled to the ground by the Volus ambassador. Effortlessly, Shepard pushed him off and he ran back under the table.

   "What the hell are you all doing?" Shepard ordered.

   "We thought that the Normandy was being attacked, as we heard things hitting the hull of your ship. We hid so that we could try and surprise anyone who tried to get in... I'm sorry Admiral." The Volus ambassador said.

   "Why is it that politicians can't ever decide on anything. Why must you always bicker, moan and complain? The decisions you make, send ripples across battlefields, causing pain and distress.  You can disrupt ages of perfectly kept peace with a single word, and when you're all brought together, it takes you hours to decide anything! Now, you were all brought here to discuss protection and safety for your people! That is, to my knowledge, the point of this task force! If you can't talk to each other, then I can't be held responsible for my actions!" Shepard demanded, startling the crowd.

   Shepard left the room when suddenly, the Normandy banked to the left, knocking him down. Landing hard on his hip, he winced in pain and shook his head, clearing his vision. His Omni-tool flared up as he got a message from Joker.

    "Sorry, Shepard. Don't know what hit us but Edi's checking." 

 Slowly, he got to his feet, when the klaxons started blaring loudly. Walking out into the CIC, he met Edi and Miranda coming down from the bridge. Miranda looked angry, whereas Edi still retained her usual stoic expression.

   "What's wrong? What happened?" Shepard asked, confused.

   "Bloody pirates happened! They were camping out in the asteroid field and now there's a small fleet of ships, mostly gunships and a cruiser, following us. One ship thought they were smart and decided to ram into the cargo deck. Why they'd even attempt attacking us, I don't know but I don't care either." Miranda stated. "Can you go down and check what's happening in the hanger? They seemed to have a target there especially for some reason."

     "Alright. You watch the dignitaries. Be careful on your way in however, they seemed to be very jumpy." Shepard replied. Turning to Edi, he asked her to come with him as he gave Miranda a quick kiss on the cheek.

   "Be careful William." She whispered.

    "No promises." He replied, smirking slyly.

As the elevator made its way into the belly of the Normandy, Shepard un-latched the Carnifex pistol that hung in the holster on his hip. Reloading the thermal clip, he checked the sights and when satisfied, he replaced it. He gave a heavy sigh, and spoke out loud.

    "Why can't anything we do, ever be easy? Why must there always be some sort of obstacle in our way?" 

   "Maybe it is simply because with galaxy wide troubles, people may believe that the easiest way to live here in the Milky Way is to make their own way through it. That could explain the increase in reported gang recruiting or even the amount of trouble being caused for C-Sec on the Citadel." Edi said, not taking her eyes of the elevator door.

   "Maybe you're right, but still. If it's not war, it's always something else." Shepard said as the lift door opened. Stepping out, he saw Cortez inspecting the reasonably large craft that lay in the middle of the cargo bay doors. It seemed to bore its way through and just sat there, lodged.

   "So Cortez? What is it?" Shepard asked.

   "Well it's definitely a pirate vessel, must likely a remodelled version of a basic Kodiak troop transport. That could mean that there's also something inside, waiting to get out." Steve explained. Shepard looked at the various soldiers standing around the cargo bay, staring intently at the misshapen shuttle.

   "I want guns on that shuttle, soldiers! If there are people inside, I don't want them getting the drop on us!" Shepard ordered. Heavy thuds could be heard inside the shuttle. It didn't sound like a squadron, but more animalistic and brutal.

   Shepard stood closer to it, pointing his pistol at it, when he heard a sound, almost like a seal braking. Retreating, he ordered for everyone to do the same. Shepard watched as the pointed end of the shuttle fell away, revealing a pitch black interior. Suddenly he heard a guttural screech and watched in surprise as a familiar beast crawled out. That of a Yahg


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Swinging its mighty arm, the Yahg, sent debris flying in Cortez's direction. Barely dodging it, he fell against his console. Almost Instinctively, Shepard shot it, grazing the side of its head. It stopped advancing on Steve and slowly turned to stare daggers at William, who had lifted his hand to prime a warp. Shepard's hand suddenly seized and the warp blasted back, knocking him back against the wall. Shepard groaned due to the unexpected punishment and now, Vega had joined the fight alongside Edi, who was attempting to stun the Yahg.

      "I see why Miranda warned me not to use my amps now." He thought.

      In the chaos, Cortez was able to get back onto his feet and hurried over to check on Shepard. He had begun to stand up when Cortez reached him but he had been wounded, which was made noticeable from the thin stream of crimson fluid running down the length of his face. Steve administered some medi-gel and helped Shepard up when suddenly, Vega was thrown across the room, crashing into mounds of crates.

     Shepard stared at the Yahg with murderous ambition. His intent to kill the beast that was harassing his crew and his ship, was blocking out any and all rational thought. He picked up a typhoon that was laying on the armoury bench and checked the clip. He pointed it at the Yahg, and shot it until the gun over heated. Throwing it down, he picked up his own Reegar carbine shotgun and charged at the Yahg. As it attempted to swipe at him, Shepard was running on almost pure adrenaline and slid underneath it's meaty arm effortlessly, simultaneously loading a few shots into its calf muscle. It was forced down onto its knees and began to howl in pain. Walking away, he threw the shotgun to Vega, who had recovered from the earlier throw.

    "Here Vega. You have the honours. I'm headed up to see if everything is ok on the bridge. Edi, you should probably come as well. I'm sure Vega and everyone else can handle the Yahg." Shepard said.

    Getting aboard the lift, William hit the button for the CIC. As it slowly made its way up after a short time, it suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

   "It seems that the Yahg simply acted as a decoy, Shepard. As we fought it, the pirates came aboard. They also seem to have destroyed the feeds on the upper decks so I am unable to see what has happened. I recommend that we use the hatch and climb the shaft to deck two." Edi suggested.

   Nodding in agreement, Shepard grabbed hold of the hatch and threw it open. He leapt up and grabbed the ledge. He grunted through gritted teeth as the actions caused him to use muscles that were still healing, but he managed to climb up in the end. The shaft was dark, so he used the flashlight on his pistol to find the ladder up. As he climbed higher, the only sound that he could hear was he and Edi climbing. He began to panic slightly as he hadn't heard from anyone, but he trusted his crew and continued up.

   Once they reached the second deck, Shepard and Edi headed for the bridge. Once they were close enough, Edi ran up as she could see that Joker seemed to be thrown back in the chair, looking like he was knocked out. Slowly, she lifted him out of the chair and sat him in the co-pilot's seat. Sitting down, she seemed to repeat Joker's graceful actions and soon the power was back online. Shepard headed for the board room but found the door wide open. Slowly, he walked in with his gun held up. The room was empty, but he found Traynor thrown in a heap in the back of the room, clutching a bloody nose.

   "Traynor! What happened." Shepard asked.

   "Pirates fought their way aboard. Sent the Yahg as a decoy. Came in and took the dignitaries hostage. Bastards even sucker punched me." She said.

   Shepard took a long look around the room, searching for Miranda.

   "Where's Miranda?"

  "I don't know what they did, but for some reason, Specialist Lawson's amps stopped working. They took her along with the dignitaries." Traynor told him. Shepard stood back. His eyes were glowing with fierce and destructive anger. He bared and gritted his teeth.

   "Do..you..have..any..idea where they were taken?!" Shepard bellowed.

   "I don't but I'm sure that Miranda had a tracking device installed in her new uniform just for emergencies like this. I can try and locate her using that." Traynor explained.

    Shepard walked with Sam, out onto the CIC. As she attempted to raise Miranda's location, William headed out to the bridge where Edi was fussing over Joker who was still unconscious in the chair beside her.

    "Shepard. Jeff has several broken bones, a concussion, a broken nose and his arms also seem to have damage consistent with Jeff attempting to defend himself. Could you please help me bring him down to the med-bay so that I can have Dr. Chakwas have a look at him?" Edi asked, the concern clear in her tone.

   "Of course I will Edi. I need you to do something though. I need you to fly the Normandy since Joker isn't in any shape to do it. Traynor is attempting to raise the location of the pirate base, but it will be up to you to get us there. I swear that I will get revenge for you for what they did to Joker. They're going to be sorry to have even thought of crossing me and my crew." Shepard said.

  "Of course Shepard. I wish to find out as to why they'd attack Jeff." Edi said.

     Between them, they carried Joker down to the third deck and lay him on a bed in the med-bay. As Shepard filled Dr. Chakwas in on what happened, Edi headed back up to the CIC to receive the co-ordinates. Shepard, using the intercom, informed the crew on what had happened and where they were headed. In order to find out exactly how many were either killed or kidnapped along with the others, everyone on board was to report in and report back to their battle stations. In the end, most of the crew had been left behind mostly due to the fact that they were on the lower floors. Ten had been killed in the crossfire and five had been taken along with the dignitaries and Miranda. When Traynor had finally tracked the location down, the pirates had retreated far back into the Terminus Systems, to the Shrike Abyssal. As the Normandy flew, Shepard went to his quarters.

   Shepard walked over beside his bed where a single picture sat on his locker. It was of himself and Miranda and the date they had back before the war had ended. Shepard loved that night as it had been the first normal night he had in three years. It was just himself, Miranda and the memories that they had built together. Shepard wiped the dust of the frame before replacing it. Then he lay his thumb on a bio-scanner that was built into his bed. The mattress and bed covers fell to one side as his weapon locker opened and laid itself out for Shepard to look over. Shepard could count every weapon, every time he used them, where he bought them and exactly what the body count tied to every weapon was. There was one missing however. The arc projector that he had managed to steal from Cerberus just before he cut all ties from them. His hand glided over the empty space for a minute before he decided that he'd investigate it further at a later point. There was something new about the locker however as he had recently installed a second shelf. It was here that he had put the custom armour that Miranda had gotten him for his birthday. He picked up Aegis that lay beside the armour and decided that he'd bring it with him to get Miranda back. Edi called over the intercom that they were thirty minutes from their destination. Shepard picked up the armour pieces and got dressed. It was a perfect fit. Placing Aegis and his Black Widow on his back, he sat his Carnifex into the holster on his hip and put on his helmet before shutting the locker again. He made his way back to the CIC and stared out at the old mining station that they were steadily approaching.

    "Sit tight Miri. We're coming.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

The room was dimly lit. Miranda woke up to find herself tied to a chair, her legs and hands tightly bound. She felt groggy and sluggish and didn't really know where she was. While she did initially panic, her years of training kicked in and she calmed down. Adopting a stoic look on her face, she scanned the room, analysing everything around her. She could hear a gentle hum, probably coming from an air conditioner so she could try escaping using the ventilation system. She saw three pirates sitting at a table, about ten feet away and from their shouting, she could hear that they were playing a game of Skylian Blitz and that the Batarian was losing badly. As the human pirate threw her hands up in victory, she abandoned them and kept searching around the room. She tried to stretch and ended up knocking over a tray that lay beside her, causing the sounds to echo out around the room. Hearing motion coming from the corner of the room, Miranda attempted to play unconscious. Through a cracked eyelid, she saw someone slowly walk over toward her. They stood in front of her for a short time, but in order to keep up the ruse, Miranda couldn't lift up her head to see who it was. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her jaw and threw her head up, the force startling her and causing her to open her eyes. She met the eyes of an old enemy, long thought dead. An Asari named Fae Sokonos.

    "Well Miranda? Aren't you looking well?" Fae asked, running her finger along Miranda's jaw.

    "Sokonos? I thought you were dead!" Miranda said, shocked.

   "Well I would have been if the reapers never struck Thessia. After you left me to die back on the Citadel all those years ago... I was sent to Thessia to stand trial. Sentenced to life behind bars... It's a lot easier for you stupid humans, your lives are a lot shorter, us Asari though live to be over a thousand years old and I don't know about you but I didn't want to spend my matriarch years stuck in jail." Fae said, viciously.

  "How'd you get off Thessia in all the chaos?" Miranda questioned.

  "What's with all the questions, Miri? Well you won't see your beloved 'Commander' again, so I suppose I'll be nice and entertain you somehow. Well I jumped on board a shuttle of survivors disguised as a commando captain I killed. After we left atmo, I killed everyone on-board and jacked the shuttle. Then I headed back home to Omega, only to find it under siege by your little group of fuck-buddies, Cerberus. Joining Aria's group of mercenaries, I actually fought alongside your 'boyfriend'. After Aria took Omega back, I rounded up my little crew here and after we stole a Cerberus ship, we went bitch-hunting." Fae said, chuckling. 

    As she turned, the light cast an ominous shadow over Fae's scars, especially the long jagged scar that travelled from her left temple to her chin. Miranda struggled slightly, showing her discomfort.

   "What? Am I not pretty? Am I not deserving to be around little miss perfect?" Fae asked, before giving Miranda a hard right hook to the jaw. "Take your high opinions and shove them up your ass, you stuck up bitch."

  Miranda gave Fae a determined look straight in the eyes before she spat blood out onto Fae's boots. Fae gave another mischievous chuckle before she grabbed Miranda's jaw again and lifted her right arm up, simultaneously priming a warp. Just as Fae was about to punch Miranda again, a Krogan stormed into the room and walked over to Fae.

   "Captain Sokonos? The Normandy has been detected entering the space surrounding the station. What should we do?" He asked.

  Fae threw her arms up in vigorous rage.

  "Shoot them out of the fucking sky! How the hell did they track us here?" She bellowed. Miranda chuckled.

     "You! How in the goddess did they find us?!" Fae ordered.

  "I don't know... but you're in for it now! Oh and by the way, Shepard's an admiral now and we're engaged." Miranda said, smugly.

   "Great! Don't forget to send me a bloody invite!" Fae said, as she searched for an exit.

   "You should worry about trying to get off this station first." Miranda said as she hopped, slamming Fae onto the floor. 

  In a bellow of rage, Fae started to swing wildly, and ended up punching a hole through the chair and destroyed the binds around Miranda's hands. Summoning her Omni-blade, Miranda cut through the binds around her ankles and rolled out of the way before a biotically charged foot slammed into the floor where her head had been a few seconds earlier. After Miranda got to her feet, she cracked her knuckles and shoulders and assumed a fighting pose. She gestured to Fae before saying

   "Bring it Bitch!"

 

***Shepard's POV**

 

Anti-air guns started to rattle off the side of the Normandy. It didn't bother Shepard though as it was easily absorbed by the improved armour plating and the shields. It was hard manoeuvring through the sheer amount of ship wrecks and still avoid slamming off of the huge mining equipment but Edi managed it. As they got nearer to the central operations building, the way in was heavily reinforced by titanium blast shields and the remnants of a captured Cerberus cruiser.

      "Fire the main gun!" Shepard ordered.

   Slowing down briefly, Edi fired the thanix cannon, tearing a hole straight through the centre of the cruiser. As it exploded, it took down the blast shields and Edi flew through. Once inside, Shepard and James hopped aboard the Kodiak and flew deeper into the complex as Edi distracted the fighter ships in such an extravagant manner, Shepard felt that she surely would've done joker proud if he could see her. As Cortez landed the shuttle just inside what seemed to look like the main entrance way, Shepard turned to talk to James.

   "Inside we have to be quiet. The plan is that the pirates won't know that we got off the Normandy if Edi manages to keep them busy enough. We have two priority targets inside, Miranda and the dignitaries. I hope to find the central command hub so that we can find out anything important regarding the prisoners. From there we'll get the prisoners, hopefully destroy the pirates and their base as well as get back home in time to actually finish the talks that were so rudely interrupted."

  "Roger that Loco!" James said, saluting.

 Shepard slapped James on the shoulder as he stepped out of the shuttle. Securing a suppressor onto his Carnifex, he slowly made his way through the complex. As he rounded corner after corner, silently taking out the occasional guard, they finally reached a small room with a small terminal over in the far wall and it also had wall to wall windows on all four sides. Shepard got to the terminal and started working his magic. He quickly downloaded the schematics of the mining station and found audio files, made by one Fae Sokonos.

   "Right. From what I can see in the schematics, the prison cells are down on the lowest level of the station. That's probably where they stashed the dignitaries. We can quickly make our way down by going down using the ore elevator but we can only do so by activating the power plant here on this level. I we do that, we'll give away our location and could end up hurting the dignitaries or Miranda. What do you think?" Shepard asked.

    "I'll follow you anywhere Admiral. If you want to go loud and proud, or all quiet, I trust your judgement." James told him, solemnly. Shepard welcomed James' trust. In the end, they decided to take the ore lift down, so upholstering their assault rifles, they decided to take out anyone who unfortunately got in their way. They made their way through the facility, reaching the power plant in almost record speed, but something seemed off. There was no one around, and there was no way that the pirates could have taken the base without anything less than a small army. Shepard activated the generators and soon the station was lit up and heavy equipment could be heard, coming to life. Deciding to head for the elevator, they turned a corner and came into a large room that was still in almost pitch black darkness. Slowly, Shepard and James made their way through the room. Using their flashlights again, they found what seemed like hundreds of mechs in various sizes, all refitted with mining equipment.

    "So that's how they took this place so easily. The whole production line was automated so there was no need to have any workers on site except for the occasional technician in case any thing went wrong." Shepard thought. Suddenly a voice rang out over the intercom. It sounded furious.

    "Welcome Shepard to our little hangout. Our captain is busy beating the shit out of your girlfriend so she had me greet you. You're being rude guests taking out my friends, but I suppose what do you expect from the Butcher of Torfan? Or more recently, the reaper of Aratoht? Your body count is so high, even Captain Sokonos is impressed." The voice rang out. Shepard held Aegis so tight, his knuckle had turned white. He hated what happened on Torfan, Elysium or Aratoht, but everyone seemed to think he loved it, and felt as though they should keep reminding him. Shepard tried to repress the anger, but the viciousness in his voice was as clear as day.

     "Where is she! Where is Miranda! I swear if you don't tell me, you will all personally see why I'm nicknamed the Butcher!" Shepard shouted. There were a few seconds of silence before smug laughter filled the room.

    "Please try and make your death somewhat entertaining otherwise Captain Sokonos will be incredibly disappointed." The voice said as the channel shut off.

  Shepard and James looked around the room as mechanical whirring could be heard in droves. As red eyes started appearing all around them, both Shepard and James knew that they would soon be in trouble. Not stepping down, Shepard kissed Aegis before he whispered,

   "I'll see you soon."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

***Miranda's POV**

 

Miranda took a punch directly in the chest, the force causing her to step back. Both her and Fae were exhausted, but neither of them would stop until the other was laying on the floor. Miranda's face hurt as she had taken a few too many punches to the jaw and she was almost sure that if it weren't for her enhanced abilities, it would almost definitely be broken. Her upper lip had swollen and she had a left black eye.

   Miranda had dealt the same amount of damage back to Fae, just in a different manner. For her trouble, Fae had a cut running across her forehead that would end up as another scar, several broken fingers and a limp in her right leg. Both stared each other down like predators, searching for any weakness that either could exploit.

    "You fight pretty well... for a vat-born freak" Fae said, smiling smugly.

   " And you fight like a drunk person holding knives. Now are we going to stand here and chat or are we going to fight? Hmm?" Miranda retorted.

    "This isn't really a fight... I know that you're just stalling so that your 'heroic fiancé' can come in and sweep you off your feet! The only reason you managed to get free that day is because you used me as a scapegoat and then slithered your way free. You're a fucking snake. You use people and then cast them to one side like a toy when your done with them. You make me sick." Fae said, spitting blood onto the ground.

    "If I make you sick, then why bother coming after me?" Miranda asked.

   "Not everything revolves around you sweetheart! Someone in the alliance sold us the information on the dignitaries. You being there alongside Shepard, just made it all the sweeter. Also your 'little hero' owes me a goddamn Yahg. He killed my last one and those bastards are expensive!" Fae said, raising her fists. "Now... let's dance".

    Miranda charged at Fae, who responded with lifting some sort of biotic shield to act as a battering ram, throwing Miranda back. She tried to summon her biotics but they seemed to just fizzle out in her palms. It was an important problem that needed to be fixed but not while she was stuck in a room with a psychotic Asari. She quickly felt the ground around her and found a piece of heavy metal pipe. It was a bit top heavy but it would have to do. Now Fae was on the offensive, charging at Miranda. Miranda stood there and just as Fae was about to hit her, she side stepped and hit Fae dead- centre in the chest with the pipe. Fae staggered backwards, clutching her stomach.

    "Cheap... move... bitch..." Fae said between heaving breaths. Miranda took the opportunity and grabbing the back of Fae's head, she smashed her face down hard on her knee. With a groan, Fae fell to the floor and seemed lifeless. Miranda bent down and checked to see if Fae was still alive. She was but barely. Grabbing the chair that she had been previously tied to, Miranda sat Fae down. As an extra precaution, Miranda bound Fae's hands and feet and also secured the chair by tying it to a sturdy pipe that ran up the back wall with a chain she found lying on the ground. Taking the communicator off Fae's belt, Miranda listened closely.

     "Shepard... stuck. Mech storage" she heard. Suddenly the radio fizzled and the shock caused Miranda to drop it onto the floor, where it smouldered slightly. 

  "Damn obsolete tech! Anyway Sokonos, sorry to run but I have to get to mech storage. Don't worry though, we'll be sure to come back for you. Just sit tight." Miranda said, before running through the door behind her. Taking some medi-gel from her pocket, she administered the balm all over her wounds, the deeper ones being lathered more liberally. Then Miranda put her hand up against her face.

  "You do realise that you were talking to someone unconscious, don't you? Joker is rubbing off on me..." Miranda thought to herself.

 Stalking the halls, Miranda followed the various signs and directional boards before she was stuck in front of a door that was reinforced by a shutter. Attempting to look through the windows of the door, Miranda could see that inside the room, the air seemed wavy, indicating that the room was full of some sort of gas. "The door must be locked due to quarantine." She thought.

  Miranda needed to get through however, so spotting a wire mesh grate, she made quick work of the bolts and crouching, she climbed inside. Thankfully the walls of the vent had been shut as well, in an effort to stop the gas spreading and soon Miranda had reached the end. Just as she was about to drop down, she stopped herself. A Turian and a human were arguing. They were wearing the same armour as Fae, so they must have been part of her crew. Miranda watched the two of them closely, slowing her breathing as to not draw attention to herself. 

"You do realise that we are now stuck on a mining station, with Shepard charging through on the warpath. Why did the captain have us abduct her anyway? Sokonos isn't worth dying over..." the human said.

  "Well if you're too much of a goddamn coward, maybe you shouldn't even be here! I've seen scarier shit then some stupid human with a gun!" The Turian retorted. They soon began to shout at one another, so Miranda stopped listening in on the conversation. After a short while however, they separated, standing at either corner of the room. Deciding to keep her height advantage, Miranda skirted along the pipework that lined the walls. She stopped when she was above the human and in an elegant move, she dropped on him, snapping his neck all without making a single sound. She picked up his pistol. It was a Predator that was in terrible condition, but a weapon is a weapon. Miranda kept close to the wall until she stood behind the Turian. Miranda was amazed at how oblivious he was, as she was standing right behind him and yet he still hadn't noticed her. Slowly, she rose the pistol until it was aimed directly at the soft spot behind the Turian's head.

    "Can't leave any witnesses..." She thought as she pulled the trigger. The gun fired but as the bullet left the gun, the barrel exploded and shrapnel imbedded itself in Miranda's arm and shoulder. The Turian dropped but Miranda hit the floor also, clutching her arm close to her chest. She very rarely cried, but her previous bout with Sokonos had taken a lot of her energy, and now this was the last straw. The pain in her arm was blocking out her survival instincts and now she was lying on the floor in intense pain. After a few minutes, she began to hear gun fire. Wiping her tears on her other sleeve, she lifted herself onto her feet with her good arm and keeping close to the shadows once again, she crept along, looking for Shepard.

 

***Shepard's POV**

 

Most of the mechs that Shepard and Vega were fighting must have been many years old as they were heavily rusted, damaged or just seemed to be almost delirious. They swung in wild motions, nowhere near as co-ordinated as their more well-kept variations. They made for easy targets for Shepard and Vega but the mechs had one advantage. They were massively outnumbered and kept advancing despite Shepard and Vega's defences.

     "These bastards remind me of watching the husks all over Menae!" James shouted as he threw grenades into the gathering crowd.

   "I know what you mean!" Shepard replied. Explosions followed. 

    Shepard was angry with himself though. If he had been more prepared for this or even managed to get his amp replaced, his biotics would make short work of the mechs. He could shockwave a path through them or just lift them all over his head. As Shepard replaced his thermal clip, he cursed to himself.

   "Hey James! How are you on clips?" Shepard asked, holstering Aegis.

  "Short. Why?" James replied. He watched as Shepard took out his pistol.

   "I'm low as well. Any idea on how to get out of this mess?" Shepard asked, as he attempted to search the room. Spotting tanks fastened up high on the wall, Shepard hatched a plan.

    "Get up higher. Can you cover me while I attempt to knock down those tanks? If they're full of water or something, it might help us. If they're empty, they might serve as a distraction so that we can get out of here." Shepard asked.

   Simply nodding, Shepard and Vega backed up and climbed a crumbling wall. As Vega kept the horde contained, Shepard unholstered his Black Widow and targeted the tank fastenings. As Shepard hit his target, the metal creaked loudly and the tank hit the floor, depositing litres of water all over the mechs and the floor. The mechs stopped for a second and James slowly dropped his rifle to see if the threat was over. Suddenly the mechs started rumbling again and James quickly started to dispatch the mechs once again. A bullet soared through the sky and hit a mech dead on. Turning to see who it was, James could see smoke seeping from the muzzle of Shepard's Widow and he also noticed the smile creeping across his features. Then he stared into the crowd of mechs and saw one sparking mech drop to its knees. As it lay flat, the ground went live and electricity flowed all over causing the mechs to short circuit. James climbed the wall and crouched down beside Shepard watching, as the mechs exploded in cascades. James slapped Shepard on the shoulder.

   "Good thinking there, Loco!"

  "Thanks Vega. Too bad they weren't security mechs. We'd have an ammo stash befitting a private army if that was the case." Shepard said, laughing.

  Shepard then proceeded to hop off the wall and after securing his widow on his back, he took out his Carnifex and turned to Vega.

    "Now no more bullshit! Let's find Miranda and those dignitaries!"

Shepard took point as both himself and James slowly made their way through the long empty corridors. After a short while of seeing nothing, James spoke up.

   "They must have known this place was empty. They didn't seem to come here with a big crew because if they did, we might be having a bit more fun."

   "Yeah... It could be a case of a mole. We will have to investigate it when we're done here. Anything on scanners?" Shepard replied.

   "We have slight signatures coming from further down the hall, but that's it. I'm pretty sure that if you brought a krogan here, he'd either kill everyone else or just go made from cabin fever. I'm even starting to get a little testy." James said.

   "One would think that the earlier fight would have cleared that trigger-itch, Vega?" Shepard asked, mockingly.

  "Yeah well what can I say? After the sheer amount of fighting from the Reaper War, 'normal' doesn't really make sense to a lot of people now." James replied.

    Hearing more gunshots further up the hall, Shepard seemed to visibly tense up. Slowly, he proceeded towards the source of the gunshot. Seeing bodies lying against the concrete walls, Shepard was prepared to put bullets in whatever it was that was killing everyone. Holding himself close to the wall, He and Vega stopped when they reached a corner. Hearing movement coming towards them, they didn't want to lose the element of surprise, so they stood still waiting for whoever it was to get closer. Suddenly a silhouette appeared right in front of Shepard. On instinct, he grabbed them and threw them up against the wall, pinning them to the wall by placing his forearm against their throat. He was shocked though when he realised who it was.

   "Miranda?!" He asked.

   "William?!" Miranda replied, in equal shock.

   Dropping his arm and his weapon, Shepard wrapped his arms around Miranda and kissed her passionately. She slowly wrapped her arms around Shepard due to her injuries, but she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

   "I missed you..." they said in unison.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Holding onto one another, both Shepard and Miranda seemed to forget where they were. James came up alongside them and grabbed their attention.

   "Can we maybe continue this later?"

Slowly they let go of one another and Shepard now noticed he extent of Miranda's injuries.

    "What the hell happened to you?" The anger was clear in his voice.

   "We can talk about that later... back down there, I have the captain of these pirates tied to a chair. If anyone knows where the dignitaries are, it'd be her!" Miranda explained.

     "Fine, but we're not going anywhere until you get some medi-gel on those wounds." Shepard ordered

    "I'm not a child Shepard! I don't need minding! Now let's go and get that captain!" Miranda shouted. Shepard placed his hands gently down on Miranda's shoulders. Looking deep into her eyes, he explained.

    "I know you're not a child Miri. You are mortal however. You are in no way to defend yourself and I will not allow you to get hurt, just because we're stubborn. Vega, will you go and check on that lead. I'll tend to Miranda's wounds here."

    Nodding. James reloaded his rifle and headed deep into the hallway until he was consumed by the darkness. Placing his hand behind her, Shepard helped Miranda sit down on the ground and sit up with her back against the wall. Taking off his helmet, he scratched at the beard that was starting to get a bit wild. He'd have to cut it. Shepard then began to inspect Miranda's injuries more intently.

    "You had me worried there Miranda... but like I said to you back on Earth, I will always come back to you. This armour is perfect by the way, Thank you." Shepard explained. Miranda was about to speak but she winced in pain as Shepard began to rub some Medi-gel into a cut she had running along her arm. As the gel began to work, Miranda's face softened out and she began to look relieved.

    "I thought you'd like it. I have an eye for these kinds of things you know. By the way, I don't know how but they seem to have disabled my biotic amps. I got abducted because I didn't expect to lose them. I was unprepared and I'm sorry for that. On another note, how'd you find me anyway?" Miranda said quietly.

   "That locator that you had fitted into your uniform came in handy. I don't care though; I'd have torn this galaxy apart with my bare hands looking for you. You have nothing to be sorry about. It would have happened to anyone. All I care about is that we're back together and now these people will fear the fact that they harmed me, you and our crew. I owe Edi some payback anyway for Joker. The bastards laid him out flat. How are you feeling now?" Shepard said.

  "Better. We need to talk after this. It's important." Miranda said. Shepard stood up and offered a hand to Miranda to help her up as well.

   "We could talk no-" Shepard began but James came back.

   "You're not going to like this..." James said.

    Miranda shot him a harrowing stare.

   "Don't bloody tell me..." Miranda said before running off in the same direction that James had come from. Shepard bent down and picked up his helmet. Chasing after Miranda, Shepard and James soon found her standing in front of an empty chair. Shepard began to walk towards her but she startled him when in a fit of rage, she kicked the chair, sending it sliding across the room.

  "Miri... Are you alright?" Shepard asked.

"That damn bitch! I'll get her if it's the last thing I do!" Miranda shouted.

   "Who was she Miri? You seem as though you have a history with her. Is she ex-Cerberus?" Shepard asked. He tried not to show it, but he was worried. Several minutes past before Miranda left out a heavy sigh. Turning to face Shepard, she said.

   "I'm sorry William... I let my emotions get the better of me there a moment ago. She's a problem I thought I wouldn't have to face again. I'll tell you more about it later but we really should try and find those dignitaries now... for all I know, they could already be dead."

    "Me and James got a lead on their position. There's a strange facility on the lowest level of this station. We believe that it could have been repurposed into a jail cell or a holding facility. We were headed there when we go stuck fighting those rusted mechs... Are you sure you're ok?"

    "Yeah, I'm fine, just sore." Miranda then got in close to Shepard and whispered in his ear. "I might need you to kiss me better later..."

   Shepard looked at Miranda with a burning sense of longing and desire but that flame was quenched when James came over, telling Shepard that he found a shaft of sorts. He didn't know how deep it went, but it seemed to be their best shot of getting down to the lowest levels. Before Shepard took point again, He quickly kissed Miranda on the cheek and whispered back.

   "Miri... this conversation will have to be continued back on the Normandy in my quarters. It sounded important."

 Leading his team along, the occasional patrol proved to be nothing more than target practise for Shepard and James. Miranda was reduced to providing cover-fire due to the extent of her injuries, but eventually they reached the elevator shaft. Turning on his torch again, Shepard flashed it down into the shaft, trying to get a sense of just how deep it went. Seeing platforms and ladders lining the wall, he decided that their only way down was to climb down. Slowly they made their way down, floor after floor until they reached their destination.

    "That...took...a lot longer...than...planned" James said, breathing heavily.

  "It's good for the cardio though, James." Shepard said, smiling.

   "You really are Loco..." James replied. Miranda brought her hand to her face.

 "Can we please just rescue the dignitaries and get off this bloody station. I just want a nice hot shower and to be able to relax..." Miranda interjected.

   "The specialist life has you spoiled Miranda..." Shepard told her. Miranda sighed again.

  "I don't know how I fell in love with you..." Miranda said.

  "Maybe it's my charm... or my good looks..." Shepard wondered. 

       "I'll get back to you on that..." Miranda replied, laughing.

    Unholstering his rifle, Shepard took point and guided the team through the darkness. They followed the path by keeping close to the wall, up until they could see light at the end of the pathway. Stepping into the light, Shepard could see that they had walked into a huge holding area full of locked vaults and containers.

   "Look in each container, search everywhere. We need to find those dignitaries and get them off this station." Shepard ordered. James saluted and went searching. Miranda did the same and soon Shepard was left on his own to go searching. After a short while however, Shepard started to hear some light banging, almost like a closed fist off metal. He started to go towards the noise and found both Miranda and James were doing the same thing. Eventually they reached a large shipping container. Shepard walked up and slammed a fist down on the wall of the container. Putting his ear up against it, Shepard could hear voices coming from inside.

   "Leave us out! I'm ambassador Virtak Khan of the reformed Batarian Hegemony. I demand to be left out!" "Will you shut up Khan! No one can hear you and you're making me go deaf!" "Does anyone have an Omni-tool? I could reconfigure it into a plasma cutter? Get us out?"

   "Hello? This is Admiral William Shepard. Are you all ok? Do any of you require medical assistance?" Shepard shouted. Sighs of relief could be heard as now more banging could be heard.

   "Get us out Shepard!" They shouted.

     Walking around to the front of the container, Shepard found it to be code locked and he couldn't hack it. He turned to his team.

  "Can any of you hack this?" He asked.

Both Miranda and James couldn't do it. Not finding any other way, Shepard contacted Edi.

   "Hello Shepard, have you found Miranda yet?" Edi asked.

  "Yes Edi, I have. I need your help. Could you attempt to hack a key pad by interfacing through my Omni-tool?" Shepard asked.

     "I could attempt it but if the connection is bad, it would be ill-advised. Stand close and I will try." Edi said.

   Shepard got in close and lifted his hand close to the keypad. The hack started automatically. While that was going on, James and Miranda went looking around for anything useful. Walking along a catwalk, they soon found what seemed to be the docking bay underneath them. James lifted his fingers to his ear, activating the short range communicator. Shepard answered immediately but he was as quiet as a ghost.

    "Shepard! Is everything ok?" James asked.

   "Edi is still attempting the hack. I'm hiding behind some crates next to the container. I'm sure I heard something, so I'm trying to not give away my location. What about you?" Shepard asked.

   "We found the docking bay a short distance from your location. Me and Miranda are on our way back. See you soon Loco..." James said. Turning to face Miranda, James filled her in. Seeing it in her eyes, James wasn't surprised when she seemed to take point on their way back to Shepard. Walking back into the large holding area, James spotted an Elcor and what seemed like a Drell over by the other entrance. The Elcor had a battle cannon strapped onto his back and the Drell was crouched on his back, scanning the room using a rifle. Both James and Miranda crouched and hid behind some crates until they managed to get back to Shepard. Shepard looked up from his Omni-tool as the screen flashed with a message indicating that Edi had managed to break through the security.

   "You were right about the security Shepard. We have an Elcor tank and a Drell sniper. How do you want to do this?" James asked.

   "None of the dignitaries are combat trained, so they'd be easily killed in a heavy firefight. We have to protect them at any cost. Now I don't have the ammo to take down the Elcor. I could try to take down the Drell but it would surely draw attention. If I open the container, can you two get them to the shuttle bay? I'll take down the sniper and come running behind you. I'll probably have heat on my ass so be ready to go as soon as I get there." Shepard ordered. Both Miranda and James nodded in acknowledgement. 

     Opening the crate, James and Miranda immediately made sure that they were to stay quiet. Both the Batarian and the Volus ambassadors were eager to make a song and dance about things but between the other dignitaries and the crew, they were quickly persuaded to keep quiet. Without saying a word, Shepard and Miranda shared a quick kiss before herself and James started escorting the dignitaries down to the shuttle bay. Lying prone, Shepard took out his Black Widow sniper rifle. This large calibre rifle had been there with him on Tuchanka, Rannoch, Earth and now it was going to help him escape near death once again. Lining up the shot, Shepard could see the Drell sniper, looking rather lax up on the back of the Elcor. He only seemed to be the same age as Kolyat. Thinking of Thane brought back painful memories of loss, so after temporarily quelling the thoughts, Shepard slowly exhaled before he squeezed the trigger. The loud shot rang out across the otherwise silent room and met its target dead on. The Drell went down and now the Elcor was pissed, which actually surprised Shepard as he didn't know that the species could actually show emotion.

   "Furious. You killed my partner. Die! Die! Die!" The Elcor screamed as he shot blindly into the vast room. 

   Hoping that it would be a decent enough distraction, Shepard picked up his rifle and ran towards the shuttle bay. Suddenly Klaxons started to ring out and it sounded like combat boots were following Shepard. Internally cursing, Shepard kept running despite the pain quickly building in his calf muscles. Following the wall signs, Shepard finally emerged from the continuous hallways into the shuttle bay. In the distance, Shepard could see Cortez's shuttle with Miranda standing in the door way. Summoning all the energy he could, Shepard pulled into a full on sprint towards the shuttle. James son emerged beside Miranda and pulling out his rifle, he started to shoot the crowd that was chasing Shepard. As Shepard was forced to duck and weave around the gunfire, he was using too much energy and was now beginning to slow down. His vision was getting blurry and he began to feel disorientated. About twenty feet from the shuttle, Shepard fell to his knees and began to throw up on the floor. His heart was beating in his ears and he could just about hear Miranda shouting out to him from the shuttle door. Suddenly he was pulled up onto his feet by James while Miranda provided cover fire. As soon as he had been brought on board, James struck the hull of the shuttle as a sign for Cortez to take off. As the shuttle lifted, the door slid closed and the bullets did little damage against the shuttles armour plating.

     Sometime later, Shepard awoke in the med-bay on the Normandy. Looking around him, he could see Miranda resting on the bed to his right and Joker had been placed on the bed to his left. Slowly he tried to sit up before the gentle hands of Dr. Chakwas urged him to stay lying down.

    "Don't move Admiral. You pushed your body too far in that last fight. You need to recharge."

  Suddenly Shepard's stomach churned and he threw up into a bucket that sat on his bedside.

   "I suppose you're right." Shepard decided.

  "You know I'm right. Now rest." Chakwas stated matter-of-factly.

Suddenly a familiar voice came into the med bay, that of Admiral Hackett.

   "Hello Shepard. How are you feeling? I'm here to report the dignitaries thanks in their rescue and to order you and Specialist Lawson off active duty until both of you are up to scratch." Hackett asked.

    "I've felt better, Hackett. I suppose a vacation wouldn't hurt. What will happen to the Normandy while I'm off duty?" Shepard asked.

    "Don't worry Shepard, no one is going to take the Normandy off you. She is your ship after all. We're going to put her on repair duty just like her captain. Also I never got to congratulate you on the engagement. Congratulations!" Hackett told him.

   "I appreciate that sir and thank you." Shepard said before he lay back down.

   "I'll expect you on the Citadel by the end of the week, Shepard. I'll see you then." Hackett said before leaving once again.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Both Shepard and Miranda welcomed the change of pace. Having recently been taken off duty due to their respective injuries, they both decided to temporarily retire to a small house that Shepard had bought on Beckenstein, many years before, back before he even first made contact with the Prothean beacon those three and a bit years previous. Beckenstein was the perfect place for both Shepard and Miranda to heal and finally be able to act like a real couple, since there were no politics, no missions, not even any research projects to get between them and their time together. While their location was mostly kept secret due to the sheer amount of people out in the galaxy that would very much like to kill them both, they were happy to see Chakwas when she'd arrive to tend their wounds. Today however was a lazy day. The sun was shining into Shepard and Miranda's bedroom, the bright light breaking through the blinds, rudely waking them both from their peaceful slumber.

    Shepard turned slowly onto his side, wrapping his arm around Miranda who was resting by using the crook of Shepard's arm as a pillow. While Shepard only moved slightly, his actions were more than enough to rouse a reaction from Miranda.

    "Morning..." Shepard said, staring at Miranda. Miranda looked sluggish and dishevelled, a somewhat rare sight for her being the perfectionist that she was. She was still as beautiful as ever though. Shepard brushed the hair from in front of her face and placed it back behind an ear.

    "Morning to you too... Are we actually going to get out of bed today or are we going to waste more time under the covers, staring at walls, slowly going mad?" Miranda asked, chuckling lightly.

    "I suppose we should probably get up... What do you want to do today? We could scout out the vaults of one Donovan Hock? Or we could just go out and explore or we could go and have breakfast?" Shepard suggested.

      Grunting, Shepard threw the blanket off him and swung his legs out. He was getting the strength back in his legs so he wasn't as slow as he had recently been. Slipping his feet into a nearby pair of slippers, he stood up and slowly made his way to the bathroom. Once he was finished, he threw on his bath robe and headed into the kitchen to start making breakfast. It took a couple of minutes but soon Miranda slowly walked into the kitchen, wearing a similar robe to Shepard. Shepard already had breakfast prepared and was sitting at the table reading a report on a Data pad. Sitting beside him was a full platter of food and a fresh cup of coffee, lovingly prepared for Miranda.

    "I never expected that I'd ever actually be able to do something like this, you know." Shepard said.

    "What do you mean?" Miranda asked before taking a sip from her coffee cup.

   "Oh you know, the civilian life. I thought I'd be fighting in the trenches until a bullet got lucky someday. But I wouldn't change a thing about my life right now. I'm here relaxing with the love of my life, wearing a bathrobe, eating bacon and drinking coffee. This is a dream come true and only one thing will make it any better." Shepard said.

    "And what would that be?" Miranda asked, the curiosity and a slight wolfish grin fighting for dominance over her angelic features.

    "The day we can do this as husband and wife. I love you Miri and I'd fight another war if it meant I could ensure your safety. I know that I've told you this already a thousand times but you're the one thing that kept me fighting through it all. Well you and my mom..." Shepard said, smiling slyly at the end.   

        Shepard had yet to take his eyes off the report and after not hearing anything for a while, he wondered why that was. Lifting his head, he saw that Miranda was wiping her face off the sleeve of the bathrobe. She looked as though she had been crying.

    "What's wrong?" Shepard asked, obviously concerned.

   "It's just those damn hormones again..." Miranda said, laughing slightly.

 Shepard then laughed at what had become an inside joke between them. Moving his chair over slightly, he put down the Data pad he had been reading and wrapped his arms around Miranda. He loved being this close to her. The feel of her soft, raven-coloured hair gently caressing his cheek. The light scent of strawberries from her preferred shampoo that he had become accustomed to. He held her close and it would take something stronger then death to pull them apart.

  "Thanks... I needed that..." Miranda said. "Actually I know what we can do today. We will plan our wedding! When else will we have so much alone time together again. It shouldn't take long to iron out the details, from there it should be rather easy."

    "I really wouldn't know where to start. All I know is that I want you and me to be there, surrounded by our friends and our families." Shepard said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

    "Obviously we're going to be there William. What I mean is who do you definitely want there? What flower or flowers do you want as centrepieces on the tables?" Miranda stated, picking up a pen and paper.

    "Well, who I can definitely say for sure will be there is my mother. I'm going to invite Hackett and really I don't know who else. The crew will be there, apart from you, I've no other family left." Shepard said. Miranda quickly started noting things down.

 

  After an hour, Shepard stood up to get himself a fresh cup of coffee. Picking up Miranda's cup also, he didn't even need to ask her if she wanted a fresh cup, she simply nodded without taking her eyes off the rough wedding plan. Just as Shepard returned to the table however, there was a knock at the door. Both Shepard and Miranda quickly turned to attention. As they had a silent conversation with each other, they both knew that neither of them had been expecting anybody. Without a sound, Shepard placed the cups down on the table while Miranda grabbed a knife from the kitchen block. Skirting along the walls, both of them stood at either side of the door as the knocking continued. Nodding, Shepard swiped his arm over the door lock and the door slid open. In a flurry, Shepard had the visitor in a neck hold while Miranda had her knife dangerously close to their neck. It was only when the person gave a small whimper that Miranda finally took notice of who it actually was. Oriana stared back at her with a look of absolute horror, shock, and awe. Miranda immediately backed away and walked off into the kitchen as Shepard left his future sister-in-law go and followed them both inside. After replacing the knife, Miranda leaned against the kitchen island, her arms crossed across her chest.

    "Oriana! What the hell are you doing here?! Do you realise just how close we both came to killing you? Do you want to pin your death on me or something?" Miranda asked. Shepard came up alongside her and shook Oriana's hand.

     "What are you doing? This is an interrogation!" Miranda demanded.

    "I'm sorry but I haven't actually properly met Oriana yet. I've only seen her twice before this and both times I was fighting. This is the first proper time I actually have gotten to talk to her." Shepard said before standing back beside Miranda.

     "Hey... Miri. How's dear old sis doing this side of the war?" Oriana said, fidgeting slightly. Miranda was conflicted on how to respond. She was angry that Oriana had shown up here because their location was meant to be a secret but she was also very happy to see Oriana. In the end, she simply slumped and gave a long sigh.

    "I'm fine Ori but how did you know where to find us? Our location was meant to be kept secret." Miranda explained.

    "I might have kind of forced your doctor to tell me. What did you expect?! I wanted to see my sister! Is that too much for a younger sibling to ask for?!" Oriana said, placing her hands up to her face. Miranda felt horrible. Leaning in close, she went to go and hug Oriana but the closer she got, the clearer it was that Oriana was doing. She was laughing. Miranda stood back in surprise before she began to stare daggers at her sister.

    "What? You're so gullible. I had to. For the good of all mankind I had to make fun of my darling older sister." Oriana said, grinning from ear to ear.

  Shepard couldn't help but laugh while Miranda tried to message her growing migraine. Before Miranda really became responsible for her sister's death, Shepard stepped in.

   "As I've said already, we haven't been properly I'm-..." Shepard began

    "- Fleet Admiral William Alexander Shepard of the Alliance Marine Corps. Son of Fleet Admiral Hannah Shepard and Staff Sergeant Benedict Shepard. First of your graduation class and master marksmen in large calibre and small calibre firearms. Trained sniper and biotic, Prothean beacon enthusiast and fiancée to my sister, Miranda Lawson." Oriana finished. Shepard stood back in disbelief.

    "I can see that you've done your homework." Shepard said, chuckling.

   "Believe me Shepard, all that was from her." Oriana said, pointing at Miranda. At this, Shepard turned to face Miranda who was blushing slightly.

    "I've told you already that I came to know everything there was to know about you." Miranda replied.

     Suddenly, the terminal in the other room started to go off. Miranda turned to go and see what it had been about, but Shepard decided that it would be better for him to do it and to leave her and Oriana chat for a while. After Shepard left the room, Oriana pulled a folder out of her bag and slammed it down on the table. There were pages sticking out of it in all places and Miranda grabbed one and pulled it out. It was of a wedding dress, an elegant figure-tight gown that flowed into a crystal white train. The veil was a white lace that was fastened onto the head using a tiara made of white gold with black and white diamonds encrusted into it. Miranda was speechless. Oriana leaned over, smiling when she saw what Miranda was looking at.

    "Figured you'd love that one. I swear for all your bravado and stuff, you have the elegance and eye for fashion of a queen. Good thing I already ordered the dress." Oriana said, sitting back into her seat. Miranda dropped the catalogue page. She stared at Oriana, shocked and amazed.

   "Ori, That dress cost five and a half billion credits. How the hell did you pay for it?" Miranda asked, almost scared to hear her answer.

    "I obviously used the inheritance money that I got after Dad died. I know you didn't want anything to do with that bastard and that you gave your entire piece to the rebuild effort back on Earth, but I thought that at the very least, the fool could buy you your wedding dress." Oriana explained. Miranda began to cry again. Wrapping her arms around her sister, she hugged her and held her close.

    "How could you spend a small fortune on my wedding dress? I feel horrible." Miranda stated.

   "What are you talking about. That dress was a present from Dad. I gave the rest of my money to the restoration effort on Rannoch. I was talking to that Quarian friend of yours. Tali, I think? I was asking her if I could go and help with the recolonization effort. She said she'd bring it up with the other admirals but that she'd put in a good word for me. I'm so excited!" Oriana said, staring off into space.

   Miranda looked at her sister with a newfound sense of pride. Oriana was making something of herself. While Miranda's overprotective sense usually took priority over her sister’s desire for freedom and independence, the fact that she was finally making her journey in the galaxy told Miranda that she'd have to loosen up and leave her live her life. It gave her a sense of happiness as well as sadness. Miranda hadn't realised how much it had shown on her face until Oriana passed a comment.

    "Don't worry Miri, you can still come and visit. But be sure to bring William along with you, I want to hear more about my brother-in-law’s various escapades."

     Miranda leaned over and hugged Oriana again. Staring at the picture of her wedding dress again, it all felt real. Miranda would be marrying Shepard by the end of the year. They would finally be able to be together again. She finally had a family and hopefully in time she'd find a way to overcome the final obstacle that stopped her from adding to it. She'd find a way to get rid of her benign neoplasm and shirk off every dirty stain that Henry Lawson had ever left on her life. Finally, Shepard returned and saw that Miranda was teary-eyed.

    "Are you alright Miranda? What's wrong?" He asked. Shepard came over and stood behind Miranda, leaning down over her to hug her. As she returned the embrace, Shepard saw the picture of the wedding dress. He was captivated by it. In his mind, he could already imagine Miranda in all her beauty, slowly walking up the aisle. The dress complimenting her beautiful body and perfect mind. He wanted to marry her right now. He was pulled back to reality though when he felt Miranda's soft lips gently on his chin.

    "What was that on the terminal?"  Miranda asked.

     "You might actually be excited about this Miranda. We were asked by Hackett to go to Ilos. Seems that Karin has cleared us for active duty. I've actually been meaning to use my biotics again. After so long without them, I feel that I might be a bit rusty. Anyway, seems that while Liara and Javik were investigating the Prothean colony, they found something extraordinary, something Hackett asked us to get on top of immediately." Shepard said.

     "What the hell could it be? How are we going to get there?" Miranda asked.

   "I only wish I knew. Hackett's mobilising the Normandy. Said it should be waiting for us at the Beckenstein Space-port in an hour." Shepard explained, downing the last of the coffee in his cup.  He winced because he had forgotten that it had gone cold. Cold coffee is horrible.

     "What should I do?" Oriana asked. Shepard turned to Miranda.

    "We could bring her with us? Or she could stay here and I ask for someone to come and collect her? What would you like to do?"

   "In case of a firefight or even what happened back during the talks, we really shouldn't take her with us but still I really don't want to leave her here especially on her own, on a planet she mightn't even be used to." Miranda shouted as she headed to the bedroom to change clothes.

    "Oriana. We might have to bring you with us to Ilos. We would be aboard an Alliance frigate. I would have to have you confined to my quarters for the remainder of your time with us. I'm sorry but that's just how things have to be." Shepard explained.

   "I suppose that's fine. Believe me, I'm not stupid. I know how the military works. Miranda has been blacklisting everything she tells me since she's met me. It would be interesting to see how you work though Shepard. I want to see if you live up to all that Miranda's told me." Oriana said. 

       Oriana stood up and gathered the wedding planning materials and replaced them in the folder she brought and placed it back in her bag. Running into the bedroom, Oriana was shouting to Miranda, saying something about it being 'bring your sister to work day'. When Shepard heard Miranda scream, He knew that Oriana had probably walked in on Miranda as she was in the middle of getting dressed. As Oriana came out of the room with a playful frown on her face, Shepard only laughed. The spaceport was about an hour away from where they were so after Shepard got dressed, the three of them all climbed into the skycar and headed for the spaceport.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Archaeology and strenuous research was a hard and exhausting science to follow, but one that Liara T'Soni was well used to. After the Reapers defeat and once Shepard's revival had been made common knowledge, Liara had received word from Admiral Hackett about a secret project that he wanted her to head on Ilos. Jumping at the opportunity to hang up the holster and return to her real hobby had enticed her to agree and she had travelled to the Citadel where Alliance Command had been temporarily set up as the rebuild effort continued back on Earth. Upon entering Hackett's office, Liara bumped into Javik, who had also received word about the Ilos project. After a few minutes, Admiral Hackett arrived and gestured for them both to sit down. Liara welcomed the polite gesture, while Javik decided to stand beside Liara, staring at Hackett, while standing at attention.

    "I'm pretty sure you both want to know what I asked you to come here for?" Hackett asked, resting his elbows on his desk.

   "I would very much like to know Admiral. I'm afraid that there might have been a mix-up. Both Javik and myself received the same message about heading a research project on Ilos. Could you please clarify the situation?" Liara asked, leaning back in her chair.

    "Well, after the discovery of our mutual friend Javik here, Central governments have been tasking us with unearthing the secrets held in those underground Prothean beacons. Due to both of your extensive experiences in those matters, I nominated you both as joint heads for the project. We can have you on a ship for Ilos with a full research team and resources by the day's end if you both agree to do it. What do you think?" Hackett asked, looking between them both.

     "I don't want to be present as you look through the graves of my people. From the research I've done since the Commander woke me up on that primitive human colony, I've found out that you humans have squandered the information that we left to be found by your people as you eventually evolved from chasing lizards with sticks. If I am to be part of this project, I ask that you treat the dead with proper respect and decency." Javik said, viciously. Javik glared at the admiral, attempting to get him to buckle.

   The admiral held Javik's intense glare and after both of them came to an understanding, they turned to Liara. While Liara might have cracked under, what seemed like an interrogation, a few years ago, the past year she spent as the Shadow Broker had tempered her nerves and her resolve. Turning to face Hackett directly, she smiled as she said.

    "I'd be happy to do it Admiral."

 

***1 month later.**

 

While Liara saw the landscape of Ilos regularly, every morning she'd always be brought back to when she had fought alongside Shepard and Ashley when they were fighting their campaign against Saren. It had been a short time since Liara and Javik had arrived on Ilos and the memories were still clear in her head. Today though, Liara had a tech team attempting to crack the lock that had a bulkhead dropped in front of them. Javik was growing impatient every day they spent stuck behind the bulkhead, and as he ordered everyone around, Liara took down some mental notes about her personal experiences with him.

    Remembering back to when she had accompanied Shepard and Edi to Eden Prime, Liara could barely contain her excitement at the prospect of meeting an actual living Prothean. She had read and written tomes about their heritage and histories but nothing could compare to the real thing. As she spent days alongside him in his room on the Engineering Deck of the Normandy, she found a companion in the heartless 'Avatar of Justice' as he was known by the rest of the Normandy's crew. Now, she stood back, observing him as he seemed just as curious as she did, wanting to delve deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast and uncover it's many secrets.

     "You primitives are all a major waste of my time. My people were advanced and yet still relatively simple. It should not take this long to take down a simple lock. I can see why you were all so afraid of the Reapers. If this was the best that this cycle had to offer, you would have all been harvested and nothing would have changed." Javik ordered.

   The symphony of grunts, mumbled curses and obvious discomfort let Liara know that Javik seemed to be overworking the science teams. Walking up alongside him, Liara called out for the workers to go on their breaks. Javik glared at Liara, his face twisted in a toxic cocktail of anger and annoyance.

    "What are you doing Asari?! They do not deserve to be fed and rested if they cannot do what they were brought here for. They are a waste of resources and should be treated as such." Javik shouted.

   "The reason that they mightn't be working to optimal efficiency could be because we're overworking them. They need to rest and maybe if we let them, they might work better tomorrow." Liara explained as she watched the science team leave the vast catacombs. Once they were far enough away, Liara turned to talk to Javik, who to her surprise was running his hands along the many stasis pods that protruded from the walls. He seemed deeply troubled and then Liara realised that she was lucky. He trusted her to see what he allowed to no one else. She was the only one who could see that justice had its share of demons, just as much as everyone else. Bringing up her Omni-tool, Liara quietly took down more notes as she allowed Javik to mourn in silence.

 

***2 months later**

 

Progress came along slowly. The Bunker on Ilos was nearly four times the size of the one on Eden Prime, so the prospect of eventually finding something significant was quite high. However, it seemed after Vigil's 'death' and the over use of the conduit, the entire Bunker had gone into complete lockdown as every bulkhead heading deeper into the Bunker had lifted, placing obstacles along the research teams entire path.

    After gaining some experience with the Prothean systems, the tech teams had been better at cracking the locks which in turn revealed more secrets and even more locked doors. When Liara received word from her contacts about Shepard's promotion to Fleet Admiral, she laughed. She thought that praise for Shepard's actions and heroic endeavours had been vastly overdue. Liara pulled a bottle of Asari-made fine wine from her travel case that she had packed for special cases. This certainly counted. Liara poured herself a glass as she attempted to drink to her dear friend’s health, recovery and success in the future. Before she took a sip however, the flap of her tent was thrown open and Javik stormed in. Liara placed the glass down beside her research notes, crossed her arms, sat down, and stared at the pacing soldier.

   "Javik? Are you all right?" Liara asked. Javik turned and faced her.

   "All right?! How could I be 'all right' when those fools desecrate a monument to the demise of my people. They poke and they prod at the corpses of my people as though they were insignificant to them. Those that are buried inside were also victims of the Reapers from the previous cycle, and those primitives don't care. I asked that the dead be treated with respect and decency as we delve through that tomb and it is a request that I've yet to see fulfilled." Javik stated, furiously.

    "Have you told them how you feel about all this? They might just be granting them the decency that they'd grant their own people. If you'd like it done differently, maybe explain that and show them." Liara explained.

    Javik seemed to be in deep thought. After a short while he gave a light chuckle. A sound that was all too rare for him.

    "Another interesting note." Javik stated.

   "And what would that be?" Liara replied, expecting his usual harsh opinion.

    "It would also seem as though the Asari have mastered compassion. I thank you, Liara." Javik said before leaving the tent.

    It was rare for Javik to call Liara by her first name, usually he'd label everything in some form of a derogatory term that was more common from his own time. It was always a welcome sight to see the little changes in him. Returning to her solo toast, Liara lifted her glass until the light from the over hung bulb shimmered through it.

     "Here's to you Shepard."

 

***3 months later.**

 

Liara and Javik were doing autopsies and bio tagging some mummified Prothean corpses when a technician came into Liara's tent in a frantic mood.

    "Doctor T'Soni! Commander Javik sir! We need you down in the Bunker! We've found a hidden pathway. It's blocked with a locked door." The technician said. Liara beamed while Javik stayed stoic, his nod emotionless. After the technician left, Liara turned to Javik, her smile still stretching across her face.

   "Come on Javik! Are you not the least bit curious to see what lies behind that door?" Liara asked as she headed to leave the tent, noticing that Javik had stayed behind.

    "Would you be excited to walk through a mass grave full of Asari? What of Turian? Or Human? I am the very last of my people. I am their dying voice. I'm doing this to receive forgiveness from my ancestors. From the people I failed, not for personal gains." Javik stated as he brushed past Liara.

   Liara felt horrible. Javik was right. She'd have found it disgusting or deplorable if someone had shown her the same level of enthusiasm as she was, as they were walking through a mass grave full of Asari.

    "Javik. I'm terribly sorry. I didn't think or mean to be so disrespectful to your fallen people." Liara said, hanging her head in shame. Both of them climbed into a Mako, having to drive into the Bunker as it was getting deeper with every passing week. The journey was mostly silence between them as Liara was mentally berating herself over her actions. She knew that Javik was hurting, but she didn't seem to care. After a short while, Javik stopped the rover and sighed. He then proceeded to turn to Liara.

    "It is clear to me that you are attempting to be sincere in your apology and for such, I forgive you. Let us please now get back to work." He said before continuing the journey. Liara was extremely grateful and relieved.

    "Thank you Javik. I'll be sure to watch my manners from now on..." Liara said. The journey continued in a gentle silence rather than a stagnant one, with two of Javik's four eyes scanning all the various pods on the walls while the other two remained stuck on the road ahead. Liara however, poured over her newly compiled research notes, doubly and triply re-checking the data contained within. Eventually Javik and Liara reached their destination, with a team of engineers reporting outside, ready to take the door down on their order.

     Disembarking, Javik went over towards the door, while Liara went to talk to the leader of the assembled team. Liara wasn't really taking much notice of Javik, until she saw him gently place his hand upon the door, closing his eyes, deep in thought.

    "This door proved to be a valiant protector for the people contained beyond. It was the last line of defence and safety for the people who were sadly locked on the other side, more willing to die side-by-side than in the hands of the reapers. An admirable trait." Javik said before standing back. Signalling the team, soon the door had been taken down by the use of four expertly wielded plasma cutters. Javik disengaged the team and told them to return to the research camp and to send the scientists back down. After they left, it was only Liara and Javik left.

    "Well Asari. Let us go and see what had you so excited, shall we?" Javik said as he unholstered his pistol and slowly walked into the enveloping darkness. Liara kept close behind, her own pistol in one hand and ever ready to hit a target with her biotics. Both of them made quite a good team together but both of them were too vain to admit it to each other.

   The hallways were consistent and bland. All the walls were painted the same eerie green or just left the same colour as the materials used to build them. The only light that both Javik and Liara had to themselves was the one emitted from their guns automatically in dark situations. No words were spoken between them and the atmosphere became heavy and tense. That was until Liara finally broke the silence.

    "How do you find this project Javik?  Are you happy that you were asked to be a part of it?"

    "There is nothing to be happy about. My people are dead. My culture is dead. My way of life is dead and nothing can bring that back. I am the last Prothean. I was always alone and I am destined to die alone. I only ask that when I die, that I've left something for my ancestors to be proud of." Javik said.

   Liara had to admire his reasons. She wouldn't know what to do if she had woken up after 50,000 years in stasis, only to find out that she was the last remaining Asari in the known universe. Javik would have to have been incredibly lonely. She felt bad for him.

     "You do know that my door is always open to you Javik. If you want to talk, I'm more than happy to. You aren't and don't have to be alone anymore." Liara said. Javik seemed to completely disregard her. 

   They continued in silence until they came across a large room, partially lit with flickering lights running along the walls. Liara holstered her pistol once again and searched along one side of the room while Javik searched the other. They seemed to be in a lab of sorts, judging by the varying glassware and all the old technology that had been built into the walls. There were corpses thrown all over the room and in the end, both Liara and Javik stood looking at a corpse that was propped up against the wall at the back of the room. Its hands were held close to its chest, as though it was safeguarding something.

    "It seems to have something in its hand. May I?" Liara asked. Javik gestured for her to do so as he turned away. The sounds of breaking thousands of centuries old bones soon followed until Liara stood up, holding what seemed to be a memory shard.

    "Would this be any good to you? It doesn't seem to be working." Liara said, handing the object to Javik. As soon as Javik closed his hand around it however, he seemed to freeze. Stumbling back, he used the wall as leverage as he put his hand up to the side of his head as he screamed in agony. After a few minutes, Javik finally threw the shard across the room as he fell down onto his knees. Liara came running over to see if Javik was alright. He didn't say anything for another few minutes until he slowly got back up onto his feet.

    "Are you alright Javik? What in the Goddess' name just happened to you?" Liara asked, concerned for her friend.

    "I... I saw it all. The death, the destruction. Heard every scream from every man, woman and child. In that shard, were the memories of the Official put in charge of this bunker. I could feel his pain, his fear for the fate of his mate and child. His yearning to see them again as well as the pain he felt when he knew he wouldn't see them again. It felt so real." Javik stated. Liara didn't say anything. She knew that Javik would be fragile in his current state. She didn't and couldn't know just how harrowing that experience could have been. So she just stood there, showing her dear friend that there was still one person in this universe that was looking out for him and not just his lost culture.

 

***2 months later**

 

After the episode concerning the shard two months ago, Javik found that he had absorbed knowledge from the shard, and not just the pain of the person who had 'written' on it. Javik seemed to have an outline plan of the whole complex printed into his head and now he was leading the excavation team to a site that he felt would interest them, or at least himself and Liara would be ecstatic about it.

    Javik found himself getting close to Liara. He wasn't as cold or as brash with her as he used to be and he was happy that he had found a confidant in her. He could see that she felt deeply about treating the remains that they found with an appropriate sense of dignity and respect. Liara understood Javik's reasons for being here and the pain that he put up with as he really began to understand his people's culture through hands-on exposure. He had been born during the war, he never experienced anything except for the fighting, the pain and the sense of overall dread and terror that came from fighting the Reapers. Javik couldn't understand this emotion called 'love' that Shepard kept droning on about whenever he'd mention Miranda but he began to understand why it drove him to fight and to win the war, no matter how dire the stakes were.

      Having loaded the camp supplies onto their trucks, Javik and Liara were leading the teams convoy deep into the Bunker in an attempt to find what Javik was calling an 'archaeological beauty'. The statement alone was enough to peak Liara's interest so she seconded the move. Liara sat beside Javik in the lead Mako, going over the map that Javik had been able to draw from the newfound knowledge that they had found in the lab. They were driving in silence but once again, Liara was trying her best to get Javik to open to her.

    "Where are you talking us, Javik? I'm interested in whatever it is, but I hate being kept out of the loop. I'm sorry but it's a habit I picked up when I took over a several trillion credit intelligence and information network." Liara asked. While all her close friends all knew about her secret identity, unless Liara was 100% sure about the location she was in, she wouldn't actually mention her new title.

    "I am not going to tell you, no matter how many times you ask Liara. It is a mystery as well as beauty and I don't want to spoil it." Javik said, slightly grinning. Liara smiled as well as she sat back into her chair.

     "Fine then..." Liara conceded before going back to her map. "We'll be there soon, maybe about 10 minutes."

     "I know that... I drew the map..." Javik stated, plainly.

  Time passed again in relative silence until eventually they stopped before a bulkhead that was maybe double or even triple the size of the ones that they had been dealing with up until now. As Javik climbed out of the Mako, the lead engineer came on over his radio.

     "Sir... It could take us days to break through this..."

   "No need. I have it sorted." Javik replied before walking over to a small hand pad that was protruding from the wall. Placing his hand upon it, it took a few seconds before it beeped and a synthetic voice stated

     "Prothean physiology detected. Mag locks unlocked."

Slowly, the doors slid open to reveal a massive chasm, easily a few tens of miles in diameter. It contained a city that could have contained the entire population from Earth and still hold enough free space for a few million other refugees. Liara stood there, her mouth was wide open as she tried to understand the scope of what she saw before her. Javik came over and stood beside her with his hands held behind him.

    "Beautiful. Isn't it." Javik asked.

   "It's amazing Javik. I had no idea that this city was even here. I'd say if you never came here, this city wouldn't ever had been discovered. It's indescribable. I only wish that I could have witnessed the wonders of your age. They seem as though they must have been spectacular." Liara stated before she realised that Javik had started to head back to the Mako.

    "Would you like a tour?" Javik asked. Liara smiled sweetly as she climbed aboard.

    "I'd love one Javik." Liara said.

Leading the convoy once again, Javik drove into the city until they stopped within what must have been the main city square. Liara disembarked first and took a good look around them. Things had been left around them almost as though the people had just disintegrated. Vehicles had been discarded, children's toys lay on the ground covered in dust. It was deeply troubling to see. As the tech teams set up the camp once again, the first to go up was the QEC, so that Liara could report the discovery to Admiral Hackett. Liara tried to reach the Admiral but now they seemed to be so far underground that the connection was horrible. Abandoning that plan, Liara retreated back to her own tent, deciding to pour back over her research notes again.

   An hour passed before Javik walked into Liara's tent and found her sitting down reading with a glass of wine in hand once again. Putting down her book, Liara turned all her attention to Javik who was now standing just inside the tent flap.

    "Can I help you Javik? Or would you just like to talk?" Liara asked, finishing her glass of wine.

    "I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk here in the city. The team have retired for a few hours so it should be quiet enough." Javik asked, gesturing to the tent's exit.

     "You know what! That would be lovely..." Liara said, standing up.

   Walking beside each other, Both Javik and Liara walked in silence through a nearby park. In the middle was a lake or a pond that also contained a non-functioning fountain. Liara was the first to speak.

    "What is it like? To have all those images and memories put inside your head?"

    "The shard that we found was broken, as the feelings and personal memories of the Prothean writing the data should never be uploaded onto the beacons... It was nice for a time though. I saw the development of this bunker... The birth of his child... but I also saw the vast death and destruction caused by the Reapers. I could feel his fears and it was highly disturbing." Javik explained, whilst staring out onto the pond.

     "What about your own personal life before you got inside that stasis pod back on Eden Prime?" Liara asked. He immediately looked pained, so Liara backed away slightly, berating herself over bringing up the touchy subject.

    "Are you Ok Liara?" Javik asked. Liara simply nodded before standing beside him again. "As for my story... I was born during the war. I didn't and couldn't have my own life. I was bred to fight and fighting was all I did. Sometimes when the fighting would come down, we'd ask the elders what life was like before the war and they'd tell us stories of the new races and when they were discovered like you, the Asari. When we're born, the knowledge of our families are passed down from parent to child. I'm just a little sad that it's a ritual that I won't ever be able to take part in. I'm the last of the Protheans and my families’ lineage ends with me." Javik said. Liara felt horrible for him. Just as she was about to say something, Liara felt something beneath her feet. Liara stopped moving and bent down, her actions drawing Javik's attention as well. In Liara's hand were two small plush figures, their inspiration was lost on Liara however.

    "These look adorable... But what in the Goddess are they designed after? Javik? Do you know by any chance?" Liara asked. Javik took a long look at them.

    "These are based on a generic design of some of the other avatars that were known among the Prothean. They are based on the Avatars of Knowledge and Bravery. I carried a pendent with that same design of bravery when I was fighting in the war. It soothed me." Javik explained as he handed the toys back to Liara.

    "Do you mind if I keep these?" Liara asked.

   "I'd rather you keep them then they end up in some stupid museum somewhere." Javik said. Liara beamed.

   Their walk continued for another little while until they ended up back at Liara's tent.

   "Thank you for the company Liara." Javik said. Liara laughed.

    "You're welcome Javik. I had a good time as well." Liara said. Then as Javik turned to leave, Liara gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before retreating inside her tent. Javik just stood there shocked for a moment before his legs automatically brought him to his own cot in his tent beside Liara.

 

***3 months later.**

 

After the kiss, the atmosphere between Liara and Javik grew to be especially heavy and tense. They seemed to avoid each other and Javik became quite cold and stern with the teams once again, much to their dismay. If one was fast enough, they could see the occasional glance that Liara would send Javik's way or vice versa but it was an undiscussed subject. They had moved the camp further north towards the opposite side of the chasm that they entered from. The Bunker seemed to traverse the entirety of the surface of Ilos, so they were far from finished. Javik was working everyone ragged and when the workers were finished in the evenings, they had a quick meal before heading to their cots for as much rest as Javik would allow them.

     Liara was angry. Angry with herself, angry with Javik and angry at the fact that she was stuck here on Ilos with someone she loved, but who obviously didn't return the sentiment. When Liara had kissed Javik three months ago, she thought that he'd get the message. That she loved him. Loved his grumpy side, his sad and lonely side, his tormented and vengeful side. She tried to show herself to being the support that she had felt that Javik needed but after three months of silence on his part, Liara felt as though all her effort had been for naught. While she loved the dolls that Javik had sort of 'gifted' her, they also proved to be a painful reminder of a broken heart, so rather then throw them away, she had moved them to a crate that she had abandoned in the corner of her research tent. As Liara sat in her tent, pouring over research and discovery reports, all she could hear was Javik shouting at the research teams that he was running like slaves, no more than 10 feet outside her tent. His orders were running through her head like a mantra and the noise was driving her mad. Finally, she grew sick of it. Liara stood up from her seat and threw her reports up on her makeshift desk with a lot more force then necessary.

    "JAVIK! Would you please quieten down! I can't work with you screaming like a Varren pack mother in labour!" Liara screamed out loud. The entire camp went quiet.

    "Thank you." Liara said before disappearing behind the flaps once again. Nobody did anything. The diggers stopped digging, the cleaners stopped cleaning and every set of eyes turned on Javik, to see how his hurt sense of pride would react.

Javik's face seemed to contort in a vast cocktail of angry and pained emotions. The usual blue hue of his skin, began to turn slightly scarlet as Javik bared his teeth in obvious rage. The various team members all backed away, not looking to be at the focus point of all that rage and watched in clear interest as Javik stormed off in the direction of Liara's tent. Javik threw the tent flap open with such force that he actually tore it down. Liara was sitting in her usual position beside a desk covered in research notes. As Javik stood there before her, staring at her almost foaming at the mouth, she slowly brought her eyes up from her reports and stared Javik dead in all four eyes.

     "Can I help you Javik?" Liara asked, emotionless. That seemed to drive Javik over the edge. Using his biotics, he threw the desk out through the wall of the tent, opening another large hole in the east wall.

    "WHAT was THAT! You stupid primitive Asari! You NEVER speak down to a superior officer in front of his troops! It destroys the hierarchy and structure of the team. And all because I was too LOUD!?!" Javik screamed, throwing more stuff around.

   "OH! Now I'm stupid and primitive? I used to think that you were a majestic person. That you were smart, incredible and something special! I poured my heart out in front of you and all you go and do is stomp on it every morning, noon, and night for three months! Well I'm sick of it! I'm over you and your higher-then-thou attitude! You need to realise that you're not in the military here Javik! You are here with scientists and scholars and we don't respond well when someone starts cracking a whip. So yes, you were too loud and I will speak down to you like the insect you are if you deserve it! Now get out!" Liara ordered. Javik seemed a bit taken aback with how Liara was reacting.

           For as long as he had known Liara, she had never acted as vicious or aggressive before and to be frank, Javik didn't think that Liara could even act that way. He knew of her secret life as the Shadow Broker but now he could see just how aggressive she could get. Liara paced slowly towards Javik, forcing him to take a step back. Keeping up her aggressive advances, Liara had Javik pinned up against the wall of her tent. Javik honestly didn't know what had happened. Using only her words, she had stripped him bare, put his back against the wall and the flames of fury in her eyes were fiercely intense. Javik began to think back on her words though. "Poured my heart out..." was an interesting choice of words and it was a metaphor that was lost on him. Squaring his shoulders and softening his facial features, he stepped to one side. Unable to escape Liara's unfamiliar rage, she kept her eyes glued to him.

     "Before I go, may I ask a question?" Javik asked. Javik noticed the flames in Liara's eyes go down ever so slightly. Javik also noticed that they seemed to have a crowd gathering outside the tent.

    "What!?" Liara ordered.

   "What did you mean when you said you poured your heart out to me? I'm sorry but I do not understand the term." Javik asked, genuinely curious. Liara placed her hand against her forehead.

    "Do I honestly have to spell it out for you?" Liara asked.

    "I'm sorry?" Javik asked

    "I swear to the goddess! I love you, you stupid fool! I thought that you loved me and that's why I kissed you but obviously-" Liara tried to say but was cut off as Javik cupped her cheeks and kissed her gently on the lips. Liara's anger quenched as she felt Javik's emotions being poured into her mind through the close contact. Backing away, Javik stood once again at attention.

    "I'm sorry but that just felt right." Javik explained. Liara wasn't letting him go though.

    "Don't be." Liara said breathlessly as she resumed the kiss once again, this time deeper and more passionate. 

          Liara felt herself slip into eternity as she commenced a mind meld with Javik. This meld however, was nothing like what she experienced with Shepard those three years back. It consumed her mind as she felt Javik's entire lineage and heritage, their culture as well as Javik's personal thoughts, worries, and fears run through her brain. They both finally realised something. They loved each other. The crowd watched in wonder and confusion with what was happening. A few seconds earlier, both Liara and Javik seemed as though they were going to murder each other. Now, they stood in the centre of camp, in Liara's withering tent, making out. 

        Some people started cheering while some others began to ask questions but what was most important was that Liara and Javik had finally made their feelings known to each other. After about five minutes, Javik broke away from the kiss. Standing back, he noticed that Liara's eyes were still as black as a starless night. He was equally worried and intrigued about her strange appearance. The intrigue though, crumbled when he saw Liara collapse onto the ground. Dropping to his knees, Javik placed Liara's head in his lap and began to caress her cheek, pleading for some sort of reaction out of her. Looking around at the gathered group of onlookers, his patience snapped and he barked orders for someone to retrieve the medical team. As chaos ran through the camp, Javik was thankful that no one was around to see the tears cascade down his worried features onto Liara's limp face. For the first time in centuries, he was terrified.

        Some four days later, Liara finally awoke on a stretcher with monitors and IV drips of various kinds circled all around her. Slowly, she placed her hand up beside her temple in a futile effort to soothe her intense headache. Lying back, Liara tried to remember how she got here. Thinking back, she could remember being angry at Javik and then what? Instinctively she brought her fingers down from her head and slowly traced her lips as though trying to remember the kiss. From what she could remember, it had been amazing. The meld however, must have been too much for her to handle all at once. It began to make sense though due to how usually when Asari melded with someone, it was only a small amount of information that needed to be absorbed but Javik's mind was like trying to cram an entire encyclopaedia into her unprepared head. It had overloaded her brain and she must have passed out. Suddenly, sounds could be heard right outside the tent. Liara immediately dropped her hands and made herself seem to be asleep. Through a cracked eyelid, she saw Javik march in alongside a Doctor. [Doc Barnaby is she wasn't mistaken. ] Barnaby was a close friend to Doctor Chakwas and she had recommended him for the research team. From Liara's personal experience with Barnaby, she was happy that Hackett had approved the request.

    Liara watched as Javik walked over and stood over her, worry lining his face like dark pencil marks on a portrait. Javik caressed Liara's cheek and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. This sudden change in Javik was unexpected, but Liara enjoyed every minute of it. Liara thanked her ability to not break under pressure because otherwise she'd have been more red-faced then a Klixen. Javik then began to speak out loud, not taking his eyes off Liara's seemingly unconscious form.

     "Is she improving? If she is, that would at least be something..."

   Barnaby then began to grin and headed over to retrieve Liara's chart that hung from the bed. He seemed to flick through it before showing Javik a particular part. Javik seemed to be confused and looked to Barnaby to clarify.

    "This shows Liara's R.E.M wave patterns. She is dreaming. Her brain is still alive, only exhausted after the meld that happened when the two of you kissed those few days back. Two things though, Congratulations. Everyone here in camp knew that you were both important to each other. And two, you must be a hell of a kisser because you quite nearly blew Liara's mind..." Barnaby laughed while walking out.

          As Javik went off in pursuit of the good doctor wondering if whether or not he actually caused Liara some serious harm, Liara allowed herself a good quiet laugh.

    "He's right. That kiss was amazing..." She thought to herself before falling back asleep for real.

 

***2 months later.**

Liara was back at work rather quickly after she 'woke' up. Barnaby was quite surprised with just how fast she seemed to recover after only being awake for maybe one or two days but in reality, she had been secretly awake for two weeks before she officially woke up. Javik had been there writing reports when she awoke and the two of them kissed, albeit not as passionately in fear of causing another coma. After being released from 'hospital', both Liara and Javik became conjoined at the hip, even opting to stay together in the same tent as Javik had destroyed the other one. There were however some exceptions including the bathroom and research duties but the long list quickly shortened down to the bare essentials. They were both quite new to relationships so neither one of them wanted to destroy what they had made together. While everyone had loved the underground city, they had finally completed their report on it and were finally moving out of the chasm. They were beginning to get closer to the surface which also meant that Liara was finally able to report in to Hackett, who was relieved when he had received word, having thought the worst.

          Since the meld, Liara had begun to feel different. More protective of Javik, more aware of her surroundings and the possible dangers that they could entail. Liara wasn't stupid. She knew what she was feeling was akin to some of the symptoms that Asari would feel going through their pregnancies. Liara knew that Asari could get pregnant during a mind meld but she didn't think that it happened when she did it with Javik. It didn't happen when she did it with Shepard aboard the Normandy or even when she did it before the charge on the Conduit so why would it happen now. If the meld was all it took then surely she would have been pregnant with at least two of Shepard's children at this point. Liara began to panic but since Benezia died on Noveria, she was only on good terms with one other Asari that had experienced pregnancy and she didn't want to get checked or even tell Javik until she was sure. By using the Shadow Broker network that she had improved above conceivable means, she quickly managed to track Samara down on Lesuss where Falere had re-established the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery. She dispatched Feron to deliver a message to Samara in the hopes that she would soon reply.

        Liara was now holding Samara's reply in her hands, the realisation that it might confirm her worries was the only thing keeping the envelope closed. Since agreeing to continue with their newfound relationship, Javik and Liara had decided to share their collective duties and for once Liara was delighted that it was Javik's turn to head deep down to the most recent dig site. Liara was scared now. Scared of becoming a mother, [scared of becoming her mother] but hopeful that Javik would support her and their daughters if it all came down to it. Liara knew that she couldn't give Javik the Prothean children he so deeply desired, but she'd try her hardest to give him the next best thing. A family.

    Liara picked up the small blade that lay on her table and with a swift flick of her wrist had opened the envelope. This form of communication was as far from technological as they could get and Liara was grateful for its existence. Pulling out the paper inside, Liara took a deep breath before opening it. It simply read.

 

        _"Dear Liara T'Soni,_

_I received your letter but you should really send that Drell off to be better trained. I heard him coming and almost shot him before he dropped your name... I was delighted to hear from you and even happier when I found out what it said. I could say without a shadow of a doubt that you are, in fact, pregnant. What you're experiencing sounds almost exactly like my own experience but just hope that your children turn out healthier than mine did. I know that the letter didn't say who the father-to-be is but Javik is a lucky man. I know this because I watched the both of you when you came here to aid me and my daughters. You may not have realised it but it was a major Elcor in the room..._

_Falere is happy and healthy, thank the goddess. I see more and more Ardat-Yakshi turn up here every day and Falere tries her best to make sure that they are comfortable and feel welcome here. She even named the entire east section of the complex after Rila and the Western section after Morinth. I'm just grateful to Shepard for working his position and having the code agree for me to reside here so that I may look after my daughter, even though I know that she does not need me._

_One piece of advice however, if you are pregnant, take my advice and never leave your family. I regret it every day of my life and I will until I am reunited with my other daughters in the next life._

_Wishing you well,_

_Samara."_

 

The elegant style of writing almost matched the gracefulness that Samara radiated every time she moved on the battlefield. The justicar had centuries to perfect her abilities as a protector of the people and she moved as though it was an art form. Liara decided to take Samara's advice and headed for the examination tent in order to 'borrow' a bio-scanner. Entering the tent, Liara quickly looked around to see if there was anyone present. The tent looked empty and Liara left out a long sigh of relief. She didn't mind other people finding out but she wanted Javik to find out before anyone else. Finding an empty scanner, Liara lay down on the table and turned on the machine. It was quite noisy but it was normal so hopefully, no one would disturb her. Liara finally realised just how slow this thing was, as usually she'd be going off doing other things as the scan proceeded. She was on edge because the truth would be known in just about ten minutes. The anticipation was palpable but Liara began to grow weary. As Liara quickly feel into a snooze, she slept soundly until she was awoken by a familiar face some time later.

      Liara opened her eyes to lock gazes with Javik who had his arms crossed behind his back and was staring down at her. Liara jumped slightly which caused her to hit her shin off the scanner that was now on standby and her face cringed as she winced in pain. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Liara rubbed her shin in order to soothe away the pain. Javik just say nearby on a chair in complete confusion.

     "Why may I ask, were you lying underneath the bio-scanner? You know if you are tired that you could have just retired to our bunk." Javik stated, in his usual neutral manner. Liara then remembered that the answer that she had been deeply anticipating, was lying on top of the nearby table, having been automatically downloaded onto her personal data pad.

    "Well you see... amm... I was... feeling unwell. I decided to scan myself in order to make sure that I hadn't contracted something. The report is there on my data pad if you wouldn't mind passing it to me, please" Liara explained.

   Worry ran across Javik's face and he almost ran over to read it before Liara, to see if he could do anything to soothe her pain. Liara cursed internally as she now knew that her plan was ruined. Watching Javik's fingers frantically dance over the many screens, Liara just waited for his impending reaction on the medical report. Liara then continued to watch as Javik read the report and his four eyes almost popped out of his head in shock of what had happened.

      "You... are with... child. You... are with MY... child." Javik said, almost dropping the data pad. Falling back onto a nearby chair, Javik's face was blank, almost lifeless. He couldn't believe it. All he was good at was vengeful or violent acts. He couldn't be a father. He wasn't ready. He stared at Liara who was now reading the report herself and now she was wiping the tears from her eyes. 

    "Javik, we're not just having one child. I'm going to give birth to twins according to this report." Liara stated.

        He had never seen her look so happy before. She was his mate, now and forever. Even if he wasn't ready, he wouldn't leave Liara's side for anything. He'd protect Liara and their unborn children just as she had supported him in the early months they spent here.

     Javik simply stood and embraced Liara. He could feel her body shake in his arms due to the raw emotion running through her, he could feel her breath n his neck. Now they just stayed there, in each other's arms in anticipation for their future together and the future that they'd have to provide for the twins.

 

***3 months later**

 

The news quickly spread that Liara and Javik were expecting twins and they were also happy to see that work had gotten back to normal. Liara was happy to see that Javik wasn't overly protective of her, like the partners that she had seen in the vids back on the Normandy. Javik gave her space and trusted her to do what was right for their unborn children. Now though, the pregnancy was beginning to sap her strength so Liara mostly passed her time writing or just manning the bio-scanner and doing the cataloguing, rather than the more physical straining work down in the tunnels. Liara was sitting in the examination tent, gently caressing her obvious bump and was humming quietly to herself, and maybe the twins if they could hear her. After about an hour, Javik walked in, looking for the first time, curious.

      "What's gotten into you?" Liara asked in genuine curiosity. Javik came up close to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and laid a hand gently on her stomach, making sure not to cause Liara any discomfort.

      "I might have found something extraordinary down deep in the tunnels. I went off looking on my own, and I feel through some hole. I landed in a lab of sorts and I have found another piece of history from this place. Personally it makes me sick, but I thought that you might be interested." Javik explained, his hand still on Liara's abdomen despite the fact that she had turned around to look him in the eyes.

    "Do you think we could need help?" Liara asked, looking rather concerned.

   "Admiral Shepard... His help and authority would probably make this discovery more airtight." Javik explained, then began to stare intensely at Liara's stomach. "These children have a strong bloodline. I believe that they will make a difference in this world." 

    Liara brought his head up so that she could look at him again.

   "What in the name of the goddess have you found Javik?" Liara asked now, looking stern.

  "It would be better to show you. Come with me. No one except for the two of us know about this and that is the way it will stay. I think that it is back from the more experimental days of my people but the memories that I gained from the shard held no information about this. I don't think that the base commander even knew that it was here." Javik said, heading to the Mako stationed outside.

   Liara was seriously curious about this but before she left, she sent a message to Feron on a secure and heavily encrypted channel. She asked him to send a message to Hackett asking him to send Shepard to Ilos for help. As Liara sat beside Javik who drove deeper into the tunnels, she was happy to receive a message from Hackett telling her that Shepard was on the way aboard the Normandy. Making a mental note to seriously thank Feron, she relaxed back into her seat and began to instinctively caress her stomach again and once again, began to gently hum. Javik knew the danger that could come from this discovery. He'd protect his family though. They had come too far for something to happen now.

     Finally, they arrived at a hole in the ground. Roughly two metres in diameter and the space below was pitch black. Liara kicked a rock down into the hole to test the depth but it only fell about a couple of feet down. Taking out her torch, Liara quickly scanned the room below. Finding no danger, she used her biotics to gracefully glide down and was quickly joined by Javik who took point and led Liara deeper into the darkness. 

        Eventually they stood before a metal bulkhead that was no longer, nor wider then Javik. Both Javik and Liara were silent for a few moments until Javik put his hand on the massive steel handle wheel and heaved until the door budged, creaking loudly. Slowly, the door was pushed open and Liara walked in with Javik close behind her.

    The gentle hum of idle machinery could be heard all around them despite the fact that they were both still surrounded in the darkness.

    "Javik? Any chance of their being a working light switch or am I just being naive?" Liara asked out loud. There was no reply. "Javik?" Liara called out again. Liara began to panic, but the lights came on, showing that Javik had already made his way across the room. Javik was waving Liara over and she followed while taking note of everything around her. It was a sight that had grown normal to her but still, to see the dead littered everywhere like trash still hurt. Liara couldn't begin to even wonder what was going through Javik's mind but she'd support him the whole way. Standing beside Javik, Liara wasn't sure what to expect but Javik was rather stoic.

     "Are you ready? This is going to be one of the biggest finds of this excavation, I'm sure. Also, you or the researchers back at camp might feel as though, this beings' origin might be of a moral dilemma, but I assure you that this was simply a victim of war, an attempt to create troops as fast and as ferocious as the Reapers had done. Or at least, that is what the scientists had said in the reports that I've found around here." Javik explained.

    Liara was now curious as well as fearful of what this actually was, that Javik had found. Her curiosity quickly got the better of her though and she nodded, telling Javik to continue. Javik nodded and stepped to one side. Pulling a heavy steel lever, the wall in front of Liara separated and slowly, a large tank, similar to Grunt's tank, slid out of the wall. Liara was shocked and amazed.

    In the tank, suspended in some form of blue luminous jelly, was a creature unlike any Liara had ever seen before. It looked like a Vorcha, but was modified to some heavy degree. By Javik's previous explanation, Liara knew that it had to have been genetically tailored. While not entirely sure just how far the tailoring went, Liara began to focus on the creature's physical attributes. While it was Vorcha, Liara wasn't sure which gender the creature was. It had the broad build of a male Vorcha whilst still having the slight more refined and tender tones of their female counterparts. Liara began to take down notes on her Omni-tool as Javik stood beside her, explaining what he had found out about the Vorcha soldier.

     "The records were heavily redacted but the Vorcha back in my time were excessively violent and aggressive. The Protheans decided to uplift some of them and turned them into soldiers to fight the Reapers. As they began to be slaughtered by the thousands, the elders decided that they should be 'helped' and so that led to the creation of this creature before us. Boosted regeneration that came at the cost of even less intelligence then their modern descendants. They lived their life based on the primal instincts of self-preservation. After they started fighting back against us, they were all killed except for this one, and stricken from public records. It became one of our biggest and darkest secrets." Javik explained. Again Liara was left speechless.

    "The poor thing. I know you weren't involved but some of the things that your people did. It was almost as though some of you became what you feared the most in the end. Practically using the Reapers own methods against them..." Liara said, gently laying her hand against the glass surface of the tank.

   Suddenly, the room went dark and both Javik and Liara stumbled into each other in an attempt to secure themselves. Liara grabbed hold of a bar of some sort, that protruded from a nearby wall, while Javik sounded as though he was at the other side of the room.

     "What in the name of the goddess happened?" Liara asked out loud.

     "Seems as though the power has died. I will attempt to send a message back to base camp, see if they know..." Javik shouted.

      "Alrig-" Liara began but was cut off when the ground beneath them began to shake, violently. Liara was able to hold herself until her arm cramped, forcing her to let go. Falling against a small tower of metal crates, Liara's weight as well as the tremors caused the tower to fall and the sound of smashed glass soon followed.

    "LIARA!" Javik shouted into the darkness, in no particular direction. Liara moaned to show that she was still alive, if not a little battered or bruised. Finally, the tremors stopped and Javik quickly unholstered his pistol, using the attached flashlight to find Liara and help her up. Liara took a step over towards the general direction of where the pod stood and soon felt a strange, viscous liquid beneath her feet. Pointing her own flashlight down, she recognised the blue goo and then lifted her light towards the pod. The glass that they had heard had been the front of the pod and now the creature was bent in half, it's upper torso poking out of the tube through the broken window, it’s arms dangling lifeless, almost touching the floor.

    "Damn it!" Liara said, crouching down slightly.

    "It is unfortunate but I feel better that you and our children are unharmed. I would be distraught to think that you three were fatally wounded because of something that I wanted to show you..." Javik said. Liara thought it was cute that Javik was thinking of her safety but she was also angry that such a brilliant find was now destroyed.

     Liara gently dragged a finger along the contours of the creatures face before putting her hand underneath it's chin and lifting so that it would have been looking her in the eyes. Using her flashlight to study the creatures’ unique facial structure, she turned the creatures head both left and right before turning it straight again. As she studied the face again, Suddenly the creature’s eyes opened to reveal solid black irises. Liara got a fright and jumped back, only to be caught by Javik. Frozen by both fear and curiosity, both of them watched as the creature swung it's arms in a manic manner. All of a sudden, the Vorcha threw its head up and screeched loudly. Both Liara and Javik put their hands up to their ears to try and block out the noise but soon Liara felt a trickle run down her face. Thinking it was a tear, she went to dab it off her face to only find out that it was blood. Feeling light headed, Liara crumbled into a pile on the floor and Javik soon dropped after her. Before she fully blacked out, Liara saw the creature pull itself out of the tank and disappear into the darkness.

     Waking some time later, Liara awoke but found herself in the Mako with Javik beside her driving.

     "What was that?! I thought everything here was dead?" Liara said, looking frightened. Instinctively, Liara checked herself for any harm or infection, fearful for their unborn children and was relieved to find herself wound free.

    "It must have been suspended in some kind of stasis. When the pod broke, it reacted to the outside stimuli and woke up. Based on what I found out about it, I'm surprised that it didn't kill us while we were incapacitated." Javik said. Liara nodded in agreement.

    "We'll have to quarantine or the creature could find its way off planet." Liara explained.

    "All outbound communication equipment was destroyed in the earthquake. We drove past a base camp and the comm network is destroyed. I didn't tell them about the creature. Mass panic won't do us any good. We're now on our way back to the main camp." Javik explained. Liara nodded and stared out at the passing landscape, her eyes scanning for anything out of place or just especially odd.

   Both Javik and Liara soon returned to the main camp and headed straight for their tent so that they could try and come up with a plan. Soon after the sound of a shuttle was heard and Liara came out to investigate. Landing on a nearby pad, she could make out the symbols that ran across the sides. As she reached the landing pad, the door slid open only to reveal Shepard and Miranda, both decked out in complete battle gear. Shepard quickly walked up to Liara giving her a tight squeeze.

    "It has been too long Liara.." William said. When he pulled away, Shepard noticed Liara's obvious baby bump. Laughing, he said.

    "It has been WAY too long since we last talked..."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

In a single swift movement, Liara dragged Shepard inside of the tent so that she could explain their new problem. With Miranda and Javik close behind, Liara paced back and forth while Shepard readjusted his armour.

    "Hackett said you needed help. What's the problem? Everything around here seems normal. It's been quite a while since I've been on Ilos. Hasn't changed much." Shepard said, as he briefly embraced Javik. Liara stopped pacing and then shut the tent flap after making sure that there was no one in earshot. Liara was obviously both stressed and worried.

    "Ok. Can you both please just tell me what happened. It's obviously gotten you stressed and I'm pretty sure that's not good for the baby.." Shepard asked.

   Liara took a deep breath and just as she was about to start explaining, she began to feel light headed and fell to the ground. While Shepard took her arms and Javik took her feet, they carried Liara over onto the bed while Miranda went to get some medicine for her from Barnaby. Javik caressed Liara's cheek gently while Shepard laid his guns out on the table beside him. Leaning on the side of the table, Shepard crossed his arms and stared at Javik.

    "We found a creature in a stasis pod down deep in the tunnels. It was a war bred Vorcha. Extensive genetic remodelling and incredibly violent. There were quakes before you got here and during them, the pod was opened when crates fell against it. Using some sort of high pitched screech, it incapacitated both Liara and myself before running off into the wild. We tried to send a message off world to quarantine Ilos, but our communication equipment was destroyed during the quake as well. As you can see, we've been quite lucky down here." Javik explained, sarcastically. Looking up at Shepard, Javik could see in his eyes that he was thinking. A couple of minutes later, he brought up his Omni-tool. 

    "Joker? I want Edi, Chakwas, troopers, and as much supplies as we can spare down here on the next shuttle. After that Shuttle has landed, this planet will be on lockdown. Under my order, there is to be an armada of Alliance ships encircling this planet. No one in or out without my permission. Do you understand?" Shepard ordered.

    "Roger that Shepard... but just keep Edi safe ok?" Joker said.

    "Joker, you have my word." Shepard replied before ending the vid-call.

  "Thank you, Admiral." Javik said, just as Miranda came back holding various bottles.

    "William? What is this I hear about a planetary lockdown? I'm the Normandy's executive officer. You do realise that when you place an order like that, I hear about it too." Miranda asked while tending to Liara.

    "Honestly I didn't think that you would have heard it already. I just placed it. Edi works fast." Shepard said as he walked over and crouched down beside Miranda and Liara. "Anything else you need?"

    "Could you get an ice pack or something. She seems to be heating up. It could be a fever but really we just need to keep her stable until Karen arrives. I'd rather a second opinion before I administer anything drastic. Thank you." Miranda asked. Shepard quickly vanished.

    "What about that Doctor Barnaby? He has been looking after us here since this operation started.." Javik enquired.

     "I suppose a third opinion wouldn't hurt. It's just that Karen knows more about Liara and I trust her judgement wholeheartedly. Could you please go and get him. Karen should be here soon." Miranda said. Javik simply nodded and quickly vanished as well.

   Miranda gently held a bottle up to Liara's lips, and encouraged her to drink.

   "Should help with the headache." Miranda explained. Finally getting a chance to ask, Miranda asked "How far along are you?"

   "About five months... I'm quite scared. I never had the best role model of a mother and I really don't ever plan on going off with some rogue spectre to go and bring about the apocalypse." Liara said, laughing slightly. Miranda laughed as well.

   "Well you can't go off in some Reaper anyway, William destroyed them all and plus, I'm pretty sure that Javik would kill anyone you ever tried to cheat on him with." Miranda continued.

    "I suppose you're right... How are you and William getting along? I heard that you and him are now engaged? Any idea on the date yet?" Liara asked.

     " Not yet but we have most of it planned. I think William wants to get the old crew back together for the wedding. He wants everyone there to share in the good memories. I can't believe it though. I really did think that when he brought you on board back at London, that it would be the last time I saw him. It broke my heart.. Now I'm his fiancée. It caught me off guard, but I don't care as long as William is there to catch me." Miranda explained. Wiping a tear away from her cheek, she looked at Liara who was staring back at her, slightly in awe.

   "The two of you really are good for each other. You bring out the best in one another and William really needed that kind of support after the war..." Liara said, laying back again.

   "Yeah.. He was there for me when I needed him and now I'll be there for him when he needs me, forever and always." Miranda said, leaning in close, she whispered.

    "Between you and me though, Ori is taking care of the whole wedding planning thing for me. She said that it would lessen the stress. She told me though that she's planning it soon, especially with all the business that William seems to be stuck in. I swear the day that man takes a vacation, hell will either freeze over or it'll be for our honeymoon. He will regret it if he thinks he's bringing the work phone with him for those few days.."

   Liara laughed softly.

   "You do realise that even if you do manage to pry it from his hands, either his mother or Admiral Hackett will send rescue teams after their star soldier." Liara explained.

   "Hell hath no fury like a scorned newlywed..."

Suddenly the flap was thrown open and Shepard walked in, shadowed by a familiar and welcomed sight. Doctor Chakwas dropped her supply bag on the nearby table and then went and checked on Liara. Handing the ice pack to Miranda, Shepard shrug his shoulders when she asked him why he had handed it to her.

   "What? You asked me to get it for you. A good soldier does as he's told."

  Miranda laughed. After a short while, she put it on a table. Shepard stood beside Javik. 

    "How are things around here? You know aside from a 50,000 year old, war bred Vorcha." Shepard asked.

    "Good. How are things with you and Miranda?" Javik asked, not looking away from Liara.

    "Things are good with us too. I don't know if you heard but we're going to be getting married. I'm not entirely sure when yet,  but I hope to do it soon." Shepard replied.

    "I do believe that Liara mentioned it to me recently. I hear that congratulations are in order. Back in my time, we never made a pompous ceremony out of our proclamations of love. We simply told each other our feelings and then if the feeling was mutual, we both gained a mate for life. It was far more simple." Javik said.

     "I guess, but I've always been a fan of weddings. It's just that having your friends and family all around while you profess your innermost feelings for the person you love. I've heard that it can be magical.." Shepard said, daydreaming.

   Shepard snapped out of his daydream when Miranda walked over.

   "William? Javik? We need to go somewhere private and discuss this 'problem'."

   Walking outside, the increase in security was obvious. Generators and shield barriers were set up. Security checkpoints were established in a perimeter around the camp. Edi was checking out the shuttle's thrusters as Miranda, Shepard and Javik all walked over.

   "Hi Edi. We're holding a meeting inside the shuttle. Meet us inside in twenty. I, for one, am going for a walk around here. Do you wish to join me, Specialist Lawson?" Shepard said, extending his hand in a poor excuse of chivalry.

   Miranda left out a long and heavy sigh before placing her own hand in Shepard's.

  "I guess that I will see you both in twenty minutes then..." Miranda said, as Shepard led them off into the rather lush jungle.

   The jungle landscape had a captivating beauty, one that Shepard didn't notice three years ago due to having to try and stop Armageddon. Shepard could see some evidence of the fight. Either the researchers were purely searching underground or left the Geth corpses here as a battle monument, but Shepard and Miranda had to be mindful. They were walking through a graveyard.

    "Why did you drag us both out here William? I know that this place is beautiful in it's own right, but we have a potential security risk and we need to address it quickly. You'd think an Admiral would at least understand that.." Miranda teased.

   "Maybe I just wanted some alone time with you?.. Did that ever cross your mind? Maybe I just wanted to take a little break before the eventual fighting begins? Maybe this secluded trip is for more physical means? Sure who the hell knows?" Shepard said, shrugging his shoulders. Miranda gave him a playful slap across the face.

   "You dirty-minded ass! I'm not having sex with you in the middle of the jungle! If you want to spend time together, you could have just told me but we are not doing anything 'physical' until our wedding day... How about you think about that?!" Miranda said, turning away.

    "If that is what you want, I will abide by your wishes." Shepard said. Walking closer, Shepard put a gentle hand on Miranda's chin. She turned and stared him into his eyes. Cupping her cheeks, Shepard leaned in and gave Miranda a gentle, yet emotional kiss on the lips. It lasted for about a minute and both of them were left breathless. Wrapping his arms around her, Shepard said,

   "You don't realise just how happy I am that we're going to be married soon. Or at least I hope it'll be soon. How far along is Oriana with the planning anyway? Handing the reins of your wedding over to your little sister.. Risky move but it shows how much you trust her.. Usually you're one for planning every thing out, ruling out every possibility..." Shepard laughed as Miranda stared at him, dead in the eye.

   "How did you know?" Miranda asked.

  "The walls of the Normandy told me..." Shepard replied.

  "I need to tal-" Miranda began. Hearing a wailing sound coming from beside them, they quickly left go of one another and ran towards the source of the noise.

   After a short time they came across someone leaning over a fallen tree trunk that lay in the centre of a small opening in the dense foliage. Miranda ran over to check on the victim while Shepard went to do a perimeter search to see what could have caused whatever had happened. Shepard internally chastised himself for having forgotten his guns back at the camp and now had only his Omni-blade to rely on.

  Miranda scanned the victim who upon closer inspection looked just like one of the scientists back at base camp. This confused her because there were no dig sites near them, which suggested that these particular wounds may have been inflicted due to someone sticking their nose where they shouldn't. Looking back at the scan, there were a few anomalies that didn't make sense. The scientist that was bent over the tree was human and yet the scanner said that whoever this was, was as far from human as someone could be. Miranda's instincts kicked in and told her to take a few steps back. The victim began to groan and stuck their hand up, looking as though they were trying to reach for Miranda, to ask her for help. It was then that Miranda was able to look into their eyes. They were as dark as a starless night. As Miranda was distracted, it suddenly slashed at her and left a set of five deep wounds that travelled across her right wrist. Holding her wounded arm against her chest, she pulled back as her attacker stood up and attempted to pounce on her. Rolling to one side, she broke into a sprint, shouting out for Shepard, hoping to find him.

     Shepard slowly walked around the forest opening, in a one and a half kilometre radius. The situation was strange. The scientist didn't belong where he was, so that could mean a multiple of things. Pirates, private collectors or even people looking to buy the corpse of a Prothean for their collection. It obviously wasn't the shadow Broker because if there was one thing that Shepard could always count on, was that Liara's love of history and archeology would always trump her lust for personal gain. With his Omni-blade extended, he listened for anything around him. A whimper, whisper, cough or sneeze could be covered up by everything going on around him, so Shepard knew that he had to be quiet. The underbrush was especially thick and due to this, Shepard never saw an extended tree root and after getting his foot stuck, Shepard fell and hit the ground hard. Groaning due to the pain, Shepard was lucky that he hadn't broken anything and had just twisted his ankle. As he stood up, Shepard felt a liquid under his hand. Turning his hand, he could see that it had the distinct look and metallic scent of blood. Looking around, Shepard didn't see a corpse around, but the blood did travel in a trail. Following closely, Shepard soon came across a mutilated corpse that looked as though it had been torn apart by a feral animal. While the torso was the only piece still in-tact, the ribs were pulled open and it lay empty against a nearby tree trunk with the innards scattered around it. It was horrifying. Finding the head thrown in a bush, Shepard almost jumped when he saw that it looked the exact same as the scientist that was laid across the trunk over with Miranda. Then it hit him. The scientist really was a victim, just a dead one. Whoever the imposter was, they were alone with Miranda. Shepard had no fear of Miranda not being able to protect herself, but Shepard wouldn't be able to forgive himself if the bastard dealt a fatal wound to Miranda as she was only trying to help him. Turning in what he was sure was the right direction, Shepard broke into a sprint, his heart pounding in his ears. 

     "I'm coming, Miri." He thought to himself


	20. Chapter Twenty

The surroundings quickly became a blur. Shepard had only one goal in mind and his brain went frantic as his body went on auto-drive. Ducking beneath low hanging tree trunks and cutting his way through thick foliage, Shepard was on a mission. Bringing up his Omni-tool, he tried to check and see where Miranda was, but suddenly he collided with someone. Instinctively, both of them took up a defensive stance before realising who each other was.

   "Miranda? What are you doing here? What happened your hand?" Shepard asked, gesturing towards her blood covered hand. While Miranda's wound was no fatal, it bled profusely and now her usually white catsuit had a streak of red running down along it to the beginning of her boots.

   "Turns out that scientist may have rabies or something. Guy went crazy and slashed at me. I then decided to try and find you as it'd be rather difficult to defend myself and fight someone off at the same time. Did you find anything?" Miranda asked, leaning back against a tree.

   "None of it good, I'm afraid. Turns out that 'scientist' is actually dead. Found his remains nearby. Looked like a pack of feral varren tore him to shreds. I found his head left in a bush, as though whoever took it off, just decided to throw it away." Shepard explained.

   "What are you on about? Things can't come back from the dead?! What the hell was that thing then?" Miranda stated.

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure I'm a two time exception on that one." Shepard laughed. Miranda rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Miranda's leg gave out and she fell down on one knee. She had begun to look slightly pale. Shepard gently grabbed Miranda's right hand and turned it around to stare at the bleeding wound. Miranda's hand quivered slightly. Ripping open a sachet of Medi-gel with his teeth, Shepard squeezed most of the contents onto the bleeding wound and began to gently caress the torn flesh, moving two fingers in circular motion over the injury. After he had rubbed that in, he tore the rest of the sachet open down along it's side and rubbed the sachet between his hands until the gel covered the interior of the plastic. Wrapping it around her wrist, he secured the makeshift bandage in place using the sleeve of Miranda's suit. Kissing her on the forehead, Shepard extended his hand and helped Miranda up onto her feet again.

    "Thanks, William. I swear if I see that thing again, I'll fucking kill it.." Miranda stated, murderous fury burning in her eyes.

    "I'd hold it down for you. Are you sure that you're alright? I think that until it's properly healed, you should probably have someone with you. I nominate myself and I accept the position. I thank Admiral William Shepard for his service to this just cause..." Shepard stated. Miranda laughed and smiled. This as one of many things she loved about William. While he was a terror on the battlefield and relentless in his efforts to help others, sometimes he would just mess around in order to cheer others up. She needed it right now and he helped her to realise it. Upon returning her own kiss, Miranda suggested that they return to camp, and Shepard whole heartedly agreed.

    The camp was in chaos. There were fires everywhere and people were running around in a wild panic. Javik was co-ordinating the alliance soldiers in an attempt to regain order. Shepard and Miranda ran into the chaos and came across Liara, who was in her tent, attempting to put out a fire that was threatening to destroy all her research.

     "Liara! What are you doing? What happened?" Shepard attempted to shout out over the calamity going on just outside.

   "Oh.. Hello Shepard.. Just trying to save my research. The camp was attacked by that creature that Javik and I told you about. A couple of soldiers tried to stop it but it ended up killing them. I didn't believe it myself until I saw it but the creature seemed to be able to cough up a substance that reacts with natural oxygen and it combusts into a powerful source of heat. That is why the camp is burning down.." Liara calmly stated.

     Shepard and Miranda exchanged a look between each other, confused as to how Liara could be so calm over all this. Shepard went over and began to pick up his guns while Miranda went to help Liara.

    "How can you possibly be so calm over everything Liara?.. I don't even know how I'd react if I was in the same position as you." Miranda said. Liara turned and stared into Miranda's eyes with an intense fury burning inside her own.

   "Believe me Ms. Lawson, I am far from calm. In fact I am quite livid and I am unsure of how I will react if I see that creature again but I do know that when one is pregnant, stress and anger can harm their child and I will not ever harm my children even before they are born." Liara stated. Miranda was taken aback by her reaction but she quickly snapped out of it. 

   Shepard stood by the open flap with his Mattock held tight against his chest, scanning for any sign of the creature.

    "Did you happen to see where it retreated to?" Shepard asked, when suddenly Javik burst into the tent. Scanning the room, once he spotted Liara he quickly went over and checked on her.

     "Javik! What's it like out there?" Shepard asked, still scanning just outside the tent.

   "It is chaotic outside but no one is reporting having seen the creature so now we're focusing on trying to extinguish the flames." Javik explained. 

    "We need to talk about this creature and find out all we can about it. It's strengths, flaws and anything you can remember Javik. Is there anywhere around here that we can talk in private?" Miranda asked.

     "We could try the shuttle?" Shepard added.

   "That would probably be our best bet considering the fact that there were no times during the planning of this escalation that we planned to be holding secret meetings.." Liara joked.

   Shepard replaced the rifle on his back and gestured towards the shuttle.

  "Whose bringing the coffee then?" 

Javik explained everything he knew about the creature. It's wartime origin, it's insatiable bloodlust aswell as it's other strengths. It sounded as though the creature didn't have many weaknesses or flaws, just an intense weakness to fire, just like their modern counterparts.

   "What kind of monsters did your people turn these Vorcha into? Incredible strength, Endurance, health regeneration in return for being as dumb as a brick and hyper violent. I harbour no ill will towards you or the Prothean people, Javik but you have to admit that it was a harsh move to make. We do not become better then our enemies when we use their same tactics against them.." Shepard said, anger clear in his voice.

    "I agree Admiral, but I held no power over my people. Us Avatars, we were just an image for the public to believe in. Our Elders told us what to do and what to say. When the war began, while I wasn't alive at the time, I heard that the public all looked to the Avatar's to protect them, but even they had no idea on what to do. We were held up against the wall, with a cold steel fist held against our throat. We did what we had to in order to survive and still I am the last of my people." Javik rebutted.

   "I'm sorry but after seeing the collectors and their methods and then the husks, cannibals, brutes, marauders, ravagers and banshees, It just disgusts me to think of almost destroying an entire species just so you have a new toy to play with.." Shepard stated, while shuddering.

   While Shepard and Javik were arguing beside them, Miranda and Liara were talking and developing idea's on what to do about the creature.

    "We could capture and study it?" Liara suggested.

    "Using what? If we put it in a cage, It could tear it's way out. If someone was to try and suspend it using biotics, their body's would tire out and they'd faint before we could properly find a way to stop it." Miranda stated.

     "What if we sedate it?" Liara suggested again.

   "Do you have anything that would work? It'd require something incredibly strong and fast acting.." Miranda said.

   Suddenly Liara had an idea and ran over to her desk and began searching for something. Miranda felt skeptical but soon Liara returned holding a datapad, with a picture of what looked like a huge Venus fly trap with a beautiful flower protruding from it's mouth.

     "What is that?!" Miranda asked in confusion.

 "Dunmharú Flaithuil. Or Beautiful Murder in english. We found it not far from here. It's a man eating flower quite similar to Venus Fly traps on earth. It has a beautiful flower sticking out of it's mouth that gives off a beautiful and attractive scent. When something gets close enough however, it disperses a cloud of spores that knock out anything in a split second. It consumes it's prey before they even hit the ground.." Liara explained.

    "How'd you find it?" Miranda asked, still fascinated by the flower.

   "It injured and nearly ate my assistant. A human by the name of Mona. She followed some native animal to the flower and watched the creature get eaten. She got too close when she tried to study it and if a passing soldier didn't hear her, no one would have known what happened to her. She was taken off world so that she could get physical therapy. Last I heard, she was looking at getting a prosthetic." Liara calmly stated. Miranda had a pained looked on her face.

    "Death by flower.. Really not the best way to go. Do You really think that this will do it though?" Miranda asked.

    "If it doesn't, we may need to replicate what happened to Saren's base on Virmire..." Liara said, harshly.

   Roger that.." Miranda said before calling Shepard and Javik over. After explaining the plan to them, Both Javik and Shepard nodded their heads in agreement with the plan.

   After securing their weapons, they set off.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Ilos was a strange place. Steel seemed to met flora in equal parts and it was very easy to get lost in all of it. With Shepard and Miranda taking point, and Javik taking up the rear, they all formed a protective perimeter around Liara who tried to guide them along. Occasionally, Liara would huff or grunt in what Shepard guessed was a hormone fuelled rage over the fact that somehow a seven foot tall flower went missing.

   "Where in the name of the Goddess is this damn flower?! Liara said, trying her best to remain calm but her patience was quickly running thin.

    "Should I wrap myself in meat? Attempt to drag it out of hiding?" Liara claimed in annoyance. Shepard couldn't help but laugh at Liara's turmoil but Miranda gave him a hard nudge in the shoulder to shut him up.

       "Liara? Try and stay calm" Miranda said.

    "I'm trying to but where is this damn flower!" Liara said before she blasted a hole through a nearby tree trunk. This seemed to tire her out as she fell to one knee and Javik quickly ran up beside her while Miranda, being the only trained medical professional with them, tended to her.

    "Does anyone have something with sugar? I'm afraid that she could be expending her energy too fast and could go hypoglycaemic.." Miranda asked as Liara gently shook in her arms.

      Shepard pulled a ration bar from his chest compartment and handed it to Miranda.

    "Is that ok? It's the only thing I have until we get back to camp.." Shepard said as he kept a close eye on their surroundings.

     "Can't really afford to be picky now, can I?" Liara mumbled. Shepard laughed while both Miranda and Javik both seemed impassive.

     "It'll have to do but we can't have Liara use any of her biotics until after she gives birth. Being biotic requires a huge calorie intake in of it's own but being pregnant with twins on top of that? We should have brought something from the mess." Miranda explained.

   Liara gingerly took the bar from Miranda and ate the whole thing in one go. She seemed to relax in Javik's arms as her shoulders slumped slightly and her breathing had become less ragged and more even.

    "Do we need to find this flower? We could just try and capture the Vorcha like planned and then overload it, fry it's nervous system. Stun the thing.." Shepard said.

     "We don't know how strong the shock should be.. We could end up killing the thing, or it could make the whole situation worse.. If we aren't going to try and capture it alive, we need to find the terminal in the lab and find out more about it's physiology. It would be a shame to kill it before learning more about it." Miranda explained.

    "Well if it's between one of us and that thing, it's going to die. Javik could you direct us along to the lab?" Shepard ordered.

     "I will. I want to be rid of this annoyance so that it will not harm my mate or my children." Javik said, his tone serious. Shepard nodded. He could understand the feeling. He'd do the same if he was in Javik's position. Finding shelter nearby underneath a tree, Javik sat on the floor beside Liara with his rifle laid on the floor beside him. Liara rested her head on Javik's shoulder and Javik slowly ran his hand in circular motions over her stomach. A rare grin slowly made it's way across Javik's usually serious features and he continued his motions until a gentle snore could be heard coming from Liara.

     "I will stay here with Liara and watch over her as she rests.. you will have to go on your own." Javik said.

    "No problem Javik. Miri? Are you ok with that?" Shepard asked.

   "No problem here but where should go when we get into the lab?" Miranda asked as she readjusted the machete holster that ran across her back.

     "Try and access any terminal within the lab. Shepard should be able to understand the information inside because of the cipher. All the information is there." Javik explained.

     "We'll see you two again soon." Shepard said before he followed Miranda deeper into the forest.

      With Miranda now taking point and Shepard taking up the rear, they kept a close eye all around each other to make sure they wouldn't get ambushed.

    "It's been too long since it's just been the two of us Miri. I haven't had a chance to ask you how you've been the last few hours." Shepard asked while walking behind her.

     "I agree William but is now really the time for this? I mean we're hunting a 50,000 year old, war-bred Vorcha and you want to make small talk now? Well if you must know.. I've missed waking up in our bed, my muscles are sore from all this fighting in such humid weather and I want us to be married already. We've waited long enough and if we don't do it soon, we'll never manage it. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you about our surname... I was wondering if you'd be willing to double barrel it. I know that you want to keep Shepard but I want to try and redeem the Lawson name after the heinous crimes that Henry did on Horizon. How does Mr and Mrs. Shepard-Lawson sound?" Miranda asked, turning around to face Shepard.

    "I wouldn't care if you wanted Udina for a last name.. All I care about is that you're happy and that we become one, together now and always." Shepard said, leaning close and kissing Miranda on the lips, gently. Giving each other a quick hug, Shepard whispered

     "I lied earlier. I couldn't stand being named William Udina. Brings back bad memories.." This caused Miranda to gently laugh before she playfully slapped him on the shoulder and continued to walk on.

    The foliage had gotten thicker so Miranda had unsheathed her machete and had begun to cut her way through the forest. Every now and then, one of them would hear a twig snap or leaves rustle and they instantly jump into a defensive stance before they'd see a Pyjak scurry underfoot. The job was taking a lot longer then planned and they were both beginning to tire out. After two hours they still hadn't found the entrance to the lab. Shepard leaned against a tree, gently massaging his temples to avoid getting a headache while Miranda tried to make sense of the map on her omni-tool.

     "Something is interfering with the map. If I remember right, the lab seemed to be due east from where we left Javik and Liara. I'm almost sure that we haven't changed direction since we left so we should get there soon... William? Are you alright?" Miranda asked, clearly concerned.

    "Just a bit dehydrated. Should be fine in a minute. I'd feel better if someone would kiss it better.." Shepard said, raising an eyebrow. Miranda smirked.

    "I swear, for the saviour of the galaxy three times over, you can be a child when you want to be." Miranda said.

     "Only when I'm around those I like." Shepard replied. Miranda put her hand on her chest and feigned a look of shock.

     "Since when am I only someone you 'like'? Was I demoted or something?" Miranda said as she slowly walked towards Shepard, swaying her hips with every step. "I'll have to fix that now, won't I?"

   Miranda leaned in and closed her eyes as she puckered her lips in preparation for a kiss. Just as William was about to do the same, he saw a Vorcha come running out from behind Miranda, claws raised, prepared to attack. His body went on autodrive as he pushed Miranda out of the way. Miranda opened her eyes in pure shock and time had seemed to slow down as she watched the Vorcha charge into Shepard at full force and slam him into the tree he had been leaning against. A crack could be heard as Shepard's body slammed up against the tree and Shepard crumbled to the floor in a pile. As Shepard slowly fell, it felt as though someone had gripped Miranda's heart in a vice and sadistically tightened it every second. 

          Rational thought was forgone and replaced with a deep rooted sense to protect and avenge. Miranda's body enveloped in a deep indigo energy and she recovered effortlessly. Eying her opponent, who seemed to have forgotten about Shepard and was now advancing on Miranda, she grabbed her machete and used the blunt side of the blade to slam the mighty knife down on the Vorcha's advancing claw. A painful snap could be heard and Miranda was sure that she had broken at least a few of the smaller bones in the creature's hand. It recoiled back and held it's injured hand close to it's chest but the assault only seemed to feed the creature's anger and made it go completely berserk. It swung it's arms in wide arcs in a futile attempt to hit Miranda but she gracefully dodged each swipe and began to wonder how these creatures were ever thought to be anyway useful. Primal instincts drove it's movements and it became tedious and predictable. Miranda used some well placed kicks to it's lower shins to force the Vorcha back up against another tree beside Shepard. With it's back in a corner, the Vorcha's moves became even wilder but Miranda quickly stunned it by hitting the Vorcha in the head again with the blunt side of the machete. Miranda arced her left hand back and summoned her omni-blade as her left hook collided with the Vorcha's left hand, pinning it to the timber. She raised the machete high with her right hand and brought the sharp side down hard on the left shoulder of the Vorcha, causing it to shriek in pain. Heartfelt anger fuelled Miranda's body until she finally hacked the entirety of the creatures left arm clean off it's body. As she stared at the creature, she pulled the blade from the left palm and threw the appendage to the floor in front of the creature. Miranda expected the creature to run off but watched in horror as it picked it's arm up off the ground and began to feast on it's own flesh, consuming the bone and sinew. Once the creature was fed, it shook slightly before it screamed again and unfortunately the space where the Vorcha once had a stump it now had a new left appendage. The Vorcha seemed to accept defeat and it snarled and spat at Miranda before it ran back into the forest. Miranda's biotic energy soon dispersed and she was herself again.

    Running up beside Shepard, Miranda slowly pulled him up into her lap, from the pile he had fallen into.

    "You Bastard! Why do you always have to go off and play the hero. I swear if you're dead on me, I'll follow you to whatever pit your soul resides in and I'll pull you back just so I can kill you myself!.." Miranda screamed between tears. Shepard had sustained a head injury and he was bleeding from a cut on the back of his head. Lifting him with her biotics, Miranda gracefully ran through the forest, back to camp in order to save William. Along the way she swore that she'd get that Vorcha even if he had to burn this planet to it's core to do so.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Over the length of her service within the Alliance, Karin Chakwas had met many people who had gone on to do great things but no one had impressed her more then William Shepard. Being a close personal friend to both of his parents, Karin had watched the young boy grow into the revered hero that everyone knew him as. While it was common for him to come back with a few new bruises or the occasional broken bone, whenever he'd be placed on a bed before her, it hurt to see her friend so battered and bruised. Add to that equation Shepard's frustrated and angry fiancee Miranda, and her spacious basecamp clinic quickly felt cramped. While it was nice to see that William had finally found someone that would follow him anywhere and help him brunt whatever life threw at him, when that same person is questioning every move you make, it quickly loses it's niceness. Add on top of that a bedridden, pregnant Asari and now Karin wished that she had taken William up on his offer of full paid vacation.

     "I swear to god, I will find that stupid Vorcha and I will strangle the life out of it with my bare hands! Screw studying them! It'll be lucky to still be distinguishable when I'm done.." Miranda said, viciously.

     "There's no point in getting angry and go running through a forest, acting irrationally. Calm down and come up with a plan before you put yourself in the crosshairs!" Chakwas said sternly while she checked Shepard's pulse.

    Miranda didn't know how or why but being around Chakwas seemed to calm her slightly and now there wasn't such a ferocious fire burning in her mind. Seeing William laid out on a table in front of her though, caused a painful knot to form in the pit of her stomach. While Miranda may not tear this world apart, she still had plans to exact revenge on the Vorcha that had hurt Shepard. Chakwas seemed to pick up on Miranda's nervous feeling as she stood beside Miranda and put a hand on her shoulder.

    "Don't worry Ms. Lawson, Shepard came back from the dead twice and he also has a wedding to look forward too. A bump to the head might knock him out for a while but it won't take him out of the game. He's far too stubborn for that..." Chakwas said. This caused Miranda to laugh before she bent down and kissed William on the forehead.

    "Just... take good care of him, will you please?" Miranda pleaded before walking up beside Liara who was lying on the bed adjacent to Shepard.

    "How are you feeling? Any better?" Miranda asked.

   "Very much so.. What happened to Shepard?" Liara asked, using her elbows to prop herself up slightly.

    "We had a run-in with your Vorcha friend. Also turns out that it can regrow cut-off appendages.. It's been deemed too dangerous to be left live. I'll be leading a team into the forest to flush it out and kill it. That leads me to another thing. Could you please see if you can send a message to your contacts on the Citadel and see if they can contact Jack? I can't believe I'm saying this but with the challenge that one of them gave, if there's any more, one person couldn't dare take them all down without some serious heavy firepower." Miranda asked.

    "No problem Ms. Lawson. Give it one from me too... It's endangering my dig site." Liara said while she quickly typed a message on her omni-tool. "Done!"

    "Thank you Liara. Now I have to go and round up the troops and get them out fitted for the mission." Miranda said as she pivoted on her heel and suddenly almost collided with a frantic looking scout. No words were said, the scout handed Miranda a datapad before collapsing into a nearby chair. While Chakwas watched Miranda's eyes quickly scan over the information, she handed the scout a canteen of water who happily accepted it.

     "What's it say?" Chakwas asked.

   Miranda just held a stoic face before she crushed the datapad in a small orb of biotic energy. Bad news.

     "Why can't anything ever be easy? Why does every single mission have to have layers of complicated issues or challenges?!" Miranda stated to no one in particular.

     "What do you mean? What did the data say?" Chakwas asked.

    "Well the scouts have found the Vorcha but therein lies the problem. Seems that our friend has been growing an army and they are now a couple hundred strong. They captured footage of a group of four Vorcha, splitting into eight full grown soldiers. No need to procreate, just multiply... Every few hours, their numbers double. We can't wait for Jack.. We'll have to charge on their nest now!" Miranda said before walking out of the medical tent.

    It didn't take long to scramble everyone together. Javik had already started to gather the limited forces that they had gained from the Normandy as Miranda had come out of the medical tent to let people know that Shepard was still unconscious but he was stable. While their commanding officer hadn't died, the fact that he had been injured, especially after all he had done, the news sent everyone into a frenzy, as they rushed to get ready to fight the growing Vorcha army. Miranda wasn't long after putting on her battle gear when she saw a hundred strong troop of soldiers awaiting their call to battle. Miranda wasn't in anyway timid or shy, but standing in front of groups such as this was where William really shined. With a few short sentences, he could dispel any worries or fears and he could convince anyone to follow him to the very gates of hell. Miranda had seen him in action both on and off the battlefield and Shepard even managed to work his magic on Miranda herself when she had fought by his side when they had fought through the Collectors Homebase. While she had adopted a realistic view of their chances of coming home from that battle, Shepard had convinced everyone to work together as a team and he had managed to get everyone home. Now, it was Miranda's turn to try and light that fire in the hearts of these soldiers, but for once she felt small in front of two hundred eyes looking to her for support.

      "I know that many of you thought that this assignment would be easy, just to look after a few diggers and scientists until they were finished but now there is a new obstacle in front of us, one that must be destroyed. As you all know, Admiral William Shepard was wounded as he attempted to protect me from one of these creatures. While he is not in a critical situation, he was knocked unconscious and I will be damned to let that assault go unpunished. Your orders are to charge into the Vorcha's nest and while we have the element of surprise, take out as many of the creatures as you can before they start to fight back. The Riot shields will take point at the front of the squad and the shotgunners will be directly behind them. Along the back and sides will be the assault gunners who will attempt to counter flank any sideskirting enemies. Anyone with biotics or combat engineers are on support duties. If everything goes according to plan, this should be a quick operation but don't let yourselves get cocky. These creatures are nothing like the Vorcha some of you may have already fought. One of these creatures are a challenge, a battalion of them are much, much worse. Just watch your back and you'll all do fine. Now move out!" Miranda shouted as she turned on her heel and started walking deeper into the forest.

    Everyone followed behind her but there was no shouting, no excitement of running into battle beside a trusted CO. While Miranda would have liked there to be some spirit of life in those following under her, she'd make do with people just following orders and no one's bravado getting anyone killed. As Miranda walked along with her tempest dangling from her right hand, she was surprised when Javik came up beside her and started talking to her.

     "Your speechmaking skills need some work. Morale is low." Javik simply put. Miranda sighed and combed her fingers through her long raven locks.

    "I don't care. As long as no one dies and our enemy is defeated, I consider the mission a success." Miranda said.

    "Yes but a captain is only as strong as those who serve under them. That is a great strength of Shepard's. He boosts morale by simply being seen on the battlefield. He is a great man but an even greater symbol. He puts fear in his enemies and courage in his friends." Javik said.

      "Yeah well I'm not Shepard! I don't give my friends courage or fear in my enemies because my enemies never see me coming. People in the Alliance still see me as Cerberus anyway... I'm sorry but I'm just angry.." Miranda said as she combed her hair with her fingers again.

     "Well use this example to prove that you are not involved with those people. Send these people into battle with that fire burning in their souls. Have them waving their weapons in the air.." Javik said.

    Miranda avoided eye contact with Javik for a minute before replying with a genuine "thank you". Abruptly stopping, Miranda turned to face those behind her and she smiled. Lifting her sub-machine gun into the air, she began to say.

    "Us humans, we're a stubborn lot of people. Throughout history, time after time, if we're told that we can't do something, we go out of our way to stubbornly show that we can. Well how about we show Javik here that we can fight battles and fight them well. Show him how we humans do things!"

    To Miranda's surprise, people began to laugh and clap. The clapping slowly gained momentum and people began to cheer and shout. Quickly quietening the crowd so that they keep the element of surprise, Miranda marched them along until they were surrounding the Vorcha camp. It was eerily quiet as the entire camp was asleep. The occasional stifled cough or sneeze was the only sound audible. Once Miranda had received word that everyone was in position, She slowly counted down from three before calling for everyone to storm the camp. 

             It quickly devolved into complete and utter chaos. The attackers sadly hadn't the element of surprise for long as the Vorcha were quick to awaken and even quicker to rise. Screams of pain and anguish arose like a bloody symphony as flesh was rendered from bone, limbs were torn off and many soldiers were dying. It didn't take long for the odds to turn against Miranda and her assembled forces despite the fact that the biotic users were successful at keeping the majority of the Vorcha back at firing range, except for the odd few who would pounce over the barrier and tear the firing line, limb from limb. Miranda was after losing her cool long ago and while her anger fed her biotics, pure adrenaline was pumping through her body, keeping her moving, fighting and alive. Looking around, Miranda could see that her own forces were stuck behind some form of shelter while they caught their breath but she could see that the Vorcha had retreated as well for a moment, probably trying to rebolster their numbers. Her thoughts were interrupted by a scout who was covered in blood and visibly shaking.

      "Ma'am. We've lost three fifth's of our forces. Many of us are injured. Commander Javik is calling for a retreat." The scout meekly said. Miranda snapped.

    "And what does Javik expect we do?! Do we retreat to Orbit and nuke this planet to rubble? Do we go and await our deaths while hidden away in tents?!   You go and tell him that we will finish this fight and we will retreat then!" Miranda shouted. If Miranda wasn't as angry as she was, she would have felt bad for the scout. Her face had gone pale and her tremble had gotten stronger. The scout quickly disappeared from Miranda's sight and Miranda had fallen down against some upturned rubble for a minute to catch her breath. Checking her clips, she had about two clips of ammo left, one for her pistol and one for her sub machine gun. Every bullet had to count. Suddenly Miranda could hear a low growl coming from behind the barricade. Looking over her cover, Miranda could see the Vorcha spill out of the forest in droves. Before she submitted and called a full retreat, a kodiak flew overhead and hovered above the centre of the small battle arena. Miranda was confused as to who or what could be contained within. As the Vorcha continued to spill across the battlefield, the shuttle opened and a figure leapt from the shuttle before slamming into the ground, dispersing waves of biotic energy. It was a method that Miranda immediately recognised because there were very few people in existence who knew it. It was a nova slam. As the dust cleared, Miranda could make out who it was. Jack stood at the epicentre of the blast, a smirk plastered across her face from ear to ear.

    "Hey Princess, heard you wanted my help?" Jack stated before she biotically punched the head clean off an advancing Vorcha.

    "Ahh... It feels fucking amazing to let loose every now and then." Jack said before she punched another head off.

    "No students.." Another head went flying.

    "No boss..." Followed by another.

    "And I can relax with my friends!" Jack finished as she killed yet another Vorcha. Miranda was stunned at how easy Jack seemed to find fighting the creatures. Following Jack's example, Miranda holstered her guns and decided to use her biotics which proved to be much more effective.

    "Use your biotics for offence, not defence! They're weak to it!" Miranda shouted as she stood back-to-back with Jack in the middle of a sea of angry, snarling Vorcha.

    "Finally the cheerleader comes out onto the playing field. How are yah feeling?" Jack asked.

    "Just peachy... Thanks for the assist. You got here pretty quick though. How?" Miranda replied.

    "Shadow Broker Express Delivery." Jack stated simply. Miranda laughed.

          "How about we talk after all this is over?" Miranda said before she cast a singularity and picked off the encased Vorcha with a quick bullet to the head.

    It's a date, princess!" Jack shouted as she charge through the centre mass of Vorcha, swinging her shotgun like a baseball bat. Upon seeing that there might be a solution to the challenge in front of them, the soldiers resolve was reignited and people began running onto the battlefield in an uproar. Bodies started dropping, blood was shed and bloodthirsty screams and battle cries carried off into the valley as the battle was fought.

     After an hour, the numbers on either side seemed to thin out significantly.  Miranda, Jack and Javik versus five angry looking Vorcha. Miranda was out of breath, had blood in her hair, under her nails and was just physically exhausted. Jack had attempted to make a snappy remark at Miranda's expense but just didn't have the energy to think of one. Javik, just stood poised and stoic, his weapon trained on the Vorcha, slowly advancing towards them.

    "How do ye want to do this? We could charge at them together, scatter the group using shockwave and try to dispatch them one by one. We could try and break the pack apart by running in separate directions and hope we all come back from it alive. Really, that's all I can think of." Jack said.

   "Don't split up. Together we might stand a chance but if we split up, I don't think so. I'm almost spent. I'll have to rely on my gun.." Miranda said, training her pistol on the Vorcha.

     "Aim for the vital body parts.. body shots will just mean spent ammunition and waste." Javik said as he shot the arm of one of the Vorcha. Suddenly the Vorcha stopped simultaneously and all seemed to stare between the arm and the Vorcha who'd lost it. In the blink of an eye, the other four Vorcha jumped the wounded one and tore him to pieces. Miranda had seen many gruelling sights in her lifetime, one of which being Shepard freshly dead, but this almost took first place as the most disturbing. She had to put her arm in front of her mouth to stop herself from gagging. The Vorcha screamed in agony as it was consumed by it's brethren.

      "That's fucking messed up.. Jesus Christ.." Jack said, looking away. "Actually how about we hoof it back to camp. There are more guys with more guns there and you both know that Liara has at least one group of guys watching herself and Javik at all times.. Anyway, we could grab a quick bite, re-energise and blast these fucking disgraces off the face of existence."

   Miranda gave a quick nod and flicked her eyes towards the forest, gesturing for the other two to start moving. Jack went first, followed by Javik with Miranda following last. Muscles began to burn, lungs ached and hearts raced but soon the trio hit base camp. While Miranda and Jack went to grab something to eat and get more ammo, Javik set up more firing squads to ambush the Vorcha the second they showed themselves. Quickly stopping by the medical tent to check on Shepard, Miranda gave him a quick kiss before heading back out to the impending fight. Before she left however, she grabbed Shepard's beloved 'Aegis' off the counter. Checking the magazine, Miranda was happy to see that the gun was full.

   "Just so you don't feel left out of the fight, William.. Wake up soon.." Miranda whispered before leaving the tent.

   The air was tense as the firing squads seemed nervous. There was no noise except for a generator buzzing in the background. Miranda met Jack, Javik and Edi in the centre of camp.

     "We can each take a side of the camp. I'll take North, Javik take south, Jack can take east and Edi takes west.. Is that alright with everyone?" Miranda asked.

   "Where did you get that piece of hardware?" Jack asks, gesturing towards Aegis.

    "It's Williams. I bought it for him for a birthday present..." Miranda said, blushing slightly.

   "Damn. Shepard managed to dislodge that stick from your ass." Jack joked. Miranda looked annoyed but a small smile soon broke her stern gaze. Miranda laughed. 

    A scream rang into the air followed by gunshots. Since it only seemed to be coming from the North, they all decided to go together. Miranda took cover behind a barricade and using the scope, shot one Vorcha clean through the head. Blood pooled around the decent sized hole in the creatures cranium and Miranda was surprised at the strength of the weapon in her hands. It was then that she noticed that Shepard had changed the ammo type to Warp. Planting a quick kiss on the rifle's stock, she came up from behind cover only to be looking right into a Vorcha's drooling maw. It pounced on her, pining her to the floor. Miranda gagged again because it's breath smelled of rotten flesh and death. As the Vorcha's fangs got closer to her face, Miranda let out a shockwave that allowed her to crawl out from underneath the creature. Now that she was up on her feet again, she lifted the creature up into the air again and with a swift flick of her wrist, she slammed the creature down onto the ground with the approximate strength of twenty times Earth's natural gravity. A sickening crunch was heard as the creature died. Picking up Aegis once again, Miranda turned to see that Jack and Edi ganged up on one Vorcha together and the creature never stood a chance. Suddenly everything was quiet again. Jack threw her fist in the air and laughed.

      "Fuck yeah! We killed them all!" Jack said as she holstered her shotgun on the small of her back. Miranda holstered Aegis and Edi holstered her own pistol on her hip. Javik however did not.

      "Wait. There were four when we left correct? I only count three. One is still alive!" Javik announced. Suddenly a scream came from within the camp. Both Javik and Miranda paled as they recognised from where. The Medical tent. Baring his fangs, Javik broke into a full sprint, followed closely by Miranda who was holding Aegis so tight, her knuckles had gone white.

      Immediately as they entered the tent, Miranda noticed Chakwas on the floor while Javik saw the last Vorcha attepting to stand over Liara with its teeth bared and claws upraised., but was unable to reach her due to a dome of pure biotic energy that she had erected over herself. Throwing his rifle to the floor, Javik began to give off massive amounts of energy. The air around him became a lifeless black colour as he advanced on the Vorcha. Javik vaulted over the table just as Liara pushed the Vorcha back using her biotics,  and he tackled the creature to the floor. The Vorcha bucked Javik off and rolled out from under him. Turning on the others, the Vorcha attempted to sprint at them but was stopped by a another push from Liara. Javik soon recovered and got into a hand-to-hand combat match with the Vorcha. It swiped at Javik but Javik's armour took the brunt of the damage. Javik kicked the creature's legs out from underneath it and it hit the ground hard. Javik bent forward and as his hands glowed an ominous colour, he effortlessly ripped off both the creature's arms and holding the creature by the head, he arced his arm back.

    "Don't touch my mate or my children!" Javik said as he drove his hand right through the Vorcha's chest cavity. The creature screamed in pain but Javik just held it there until it stopped squirming. Throwing it to the ground, Javik went to check on Liara who just grabbed him and kissed him deeply. Miranda replaced Aegis on the table beside William and as she wasn't sure if Chakwas was injured or not, She ordered her to go and rest and that she'd man the clinic in the mean time. Chakwas agreed and walked off to the barracks to rest. Miranda noticed some soldiers standing in the doorway, watching the Vorcha's corpse to see if it would move. Turning to face them, She ordered them to conduct a thorough sweep through the forest, the surrounding areas and any Vorcha that they come across, that they're to shoot them in the head to make sure the threat has been taken care off. Giving a swift salute, the soldiers all ran off.  

     Miranda unclipped the heavy outer plating of her armour and piled it neatly on a table, leaving her in her normal clothes. Looking in a mirror, Miranda just then noticed how dirty she was, so she decided to go for a shower. Thankfully, Liara had a private portable shower and she had also given Miranda permission to use it. From her duffel bag, Miranda grabbed her clean blue alliance catsuit and headed for the shower. After slowly peeling herself out of the under armour, Miranda stepped into the stream of hot water and quickly began to wash the blood out of her raven locks. The water had turned a light rose as the blood flowed down the drain and after another few minutes, Miranda stretched and began to feel her muscles loosen, which made her feel much better. When she was done, Miranda headed to the clinic for what she assumed would be a busy night after the long day they had. It surprised her when Miranda found the clinic empty except for a bedridden Liara, and Edi, and Javik who had fallen asleep in a chair beside her. Liara and Edi were talking about something. Miranda could hear them from over beside Shepard but it sounded private so she decided to show some courtesy and attempt to ignore them.

      "How did you know that you were ready to procreate, Liara?" Edi asked.

     "While I'm not old enough yet to start my matron years, when you're with that special someone, you know. By the way, I hear congratulations are in order, Ms. Moreau..." Liara said, smirking.

      Grabbing a chair herself, Miranda pulled it up alongside Shepard and grabbing a datapad, decided to get some paperwork done. After quickly sending a message to Admiral Hackett, Miranda looked to Shepard who she just realised, was still wearing his armour. Deciding that he would probably feel better out of it, She began to undo the clasps on his armour before she heard a voice. It was Jack's voice and she seemed to be laughing. Miranda continued to take off Shepard's armour before she got a fright from the one person she didn't expect.

     "Jeez Sis, are you really that desperate that you'd strip your fiancée while he's unconscious?" Oriana asked. Miranda turned on the spot and saw Jack beside Oriana, doubled over, laughing.

    "I much rather this cheerleader over you, princess.." Jack said, wiping a tear from her eye.

    "Ori! What are you doing here?" Miranda asked.

    "Well when you lifted the lockdown after the Vorcha were all killed, I was able to jump on a shuttle down here to see my dear older sister. I thought that she might be dead or something because she never talked to me for a few days!" Oriana said, pouting. This caused Jack to laugh even harder.

    Miranda felt bad but she never really had the time. Slowly Miranda walked up to Oriana and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her closely.

    "I'm sorry Ori. Can you forgive me?" Miranda asked. Now, Jack began to gag. After quickly losing interest, Jack headed back to the barracks where there seemed to be a wake going on for everyone who had died over the past two days.

    "Well you did save my life three times so I suppose I kinda have to." Oriana replied before returning the hug. The hug continued for a short while before a sound behind them broke the moment. Miranda turned around to see Shepard trying to sit up, clutching his head like it could fall off any moment. Miranda quickly ran up beside Shepard and helped him sit upright before kissing him on the lips. William returned the sentiment before he broke away with a groan. Miranda walked over to a small case that lay on a counter nearby and grabbed a bottle of water and some paracetamol. Shepard thankfully grabbed both and swallowed the tables before draining the bottle dry.

    "Thanks. How long was I out for? What about the Vorcha?" Shepard asked, looking around.

     "The Vorcha are presumed dead. Javik, Jack, Edi and myself took care of them. Many soldiers died so Hackett wants to speak to Liara and Javik about ending this project and closing the dig site. They all seem to agree that it is too dangerous here. Whoever survived have been sent back to the Normandy to heal." Miranda said. Shepard nodded before opening his arms for a hug, something which Miranda was more then happy to give. The moment was destroyed when Oriana took a picture with her Omni-tool and both Miranda and Shepard both looked like deers stuck in a headlight.

    "That's Christmas card material, right there!" Oriana said. Shepard gave a hearty laugh while Miranda just smiled.

    "Oh Yeah! I have some happy news for you two. Since I hate sitting on my hands, while I was stuck on the Normandy, I did two things. One was I annoyed Joker, all the time and the second was, I have your wedding completely planned. The invites are sent. Your friend Tali Zorah, sponsored the venue, somewhere on Rannoch, I think. I have it planned for a week from tomorrow. I have Shepard's tux ordered and Miri's dress is on the way. I was contacted by a reporter by the name of Al-Jilani who said that she'd love to show the Wedding on Westerlund News and I said that she could come. The honeymoon I leave to the two of you but the cake is ordered, the floral arrangements and seating plan are also done. This is going to be the biggest wedding ever in all the Milky Way. I'm so excited to be the maid of honor. It's gonna be great!" Oriana said, practically jumping with excitement.

    Both Shepard and Miranda beamed from ear to ear. Suddenly, Oriana stopped jumping.

    "We have one more thing to do though before the wedding.. The Stag/ Hen Do parties!" Oriana said.

     "It's gonna be a crazy week." Shepard said, as both he and Miranda looked at his future sister-in-law.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

***William***

Omega since having been freed from Cerberus' rule had begun to clean itself up. While it was still a pirates paradise, Aria had begun to tag anyone who she could perceive as a threat to her station or anyone who was important enough for her to notice them. William Shepard was definitely one of those people. She had William flagged as soon as the Normandy had come through the mass relay. While Aria and William had fought together to free Omega, Aria was happy to finally be able to call the living legend a friend, and because of this, when Garrus had contacted her about booking a private room in Afterlife for his bachelor party, she gave them the room on the house and she also decided that she'd send her best consorts down to them to keep them entertained for the entire evening.

      William had been standing by the airlock since the Normandy had dropped him off an hour ago. The Normandy was on lock down and William was awaiting his guests for the party. Garrus, who was William's best man, had nominated himself to organise the bachelor party so William had no idea on what to expect over the next two days. While Garrus had nominated himself for the role, he actually had no idea what it meant. William had spent at least an hour, trying to explain to Garrus what a 'best man' was but in the end, in tune to Garrus' militaristic upbringing, explained that it was sort of covering the groom's back on the night. They would be responsible for the rings and would have to say a speech. Garrus was excited for the role.

           Garrus had even made the other's agree to a pact of silence so they wouldn't spill the beans to William either. While William really didn't like most surprises, he was looking forward to the prospect of getting completely wasted with his closest friends and being able to relax for a few days without the fear of kidnappings, assaults or alien invasions.

     After thirty minutes, a batarian came up to William, telling him that Aria had wanted to see him. After telling the Batarian that he'd go and see the 'Queen of Omega' when the rest of his group had shown up, he went back to leaning against the wall as the Batarian marched off, mumbling cursing under his breath.

    After another thirty minutes, William decided that he'd start early and headed in the direction of Afterlife to go and buy himself a stiff drink and he supposed that he'd also go and see why Aria wanted to talk. Bringing up his omni-tool, William tried to contact Garrus to see where they all were. No answer. He then tried James, then Steve, and finally Joker. No answer from anyone. Deciding that they'd show up when they got there, William grabbed a stool by the bar and called over the bartender. After a quick chat, the bartender slid a small tumbler of blue liquid across the counter top and waved William off when he tried to pay her for it. After hearing that Aria had given him a free pass for the extent of his time on Omega, William decided that he should probably go and thank Aria for her kindness.

    Walking up the familiar stairs to the Pirate Queen, William was surprised at how many welcome gestures and thankful words he was getting off the usual patrons and bodyguards. Finding Aria deep in a datapad he just walked up beside her and sat down, sipping away slowly at his drink.

    "Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, Shepard. Enjoy the night." Aria simply said, without taking her eyes off the report.

    "Thanks Aria, by any chance do you have any idea where the rest of my party has gotten too?" Shepard asked.

     "Nothing happens on this station without me hearing about it, but no, I haven't heard a thing. How about you go downstairs to the room that has been booked for your party and as soon as they show up, I'll have Bhakra over there kindly escort them down." Aria motioned to a Batarian standing in the corner in heavy armour. Bhakra only grunted at the mention of his name.

     "Thanks Aria. For keeping an eye out and for the drinks.." Shepard said as he slowly walked down the stairs and headed for the VIP section downstairs.

   Walking down the strobe lit hallways of Omega, William noticed increased security and less mercenaries were stalking the walkways. It was a welcome change as opposed to the way things were when he helped Samara hunt Morinth down.

   William swiped his hand over the door and it slowly slid open to reveal a dark room. Slowly walking in, he jumped slightly when everyone came out shouting congratulations. Garrus walked up and gave him a slap on the back and William was able to see everyone who had arrived to the party. There was Zaeed, Grunt, Wrex, Cortez, James, Jacob, Javik, and sitting in the corner was Joker. What surprised William the most was that Javik seemed to be cradling two small bundles. One in the crook of each arm.

   "Congratulations Javik! I heard that Liara gave birth but I haven't seen the newest additions yet!" William said, wiggling a finger in front of the newborns. "What are their names? Do you mind if I hold them?"

     "Aris and Serisa, and no, I don't mind." William gingerly accepted the two bundles wound tight in soft blankets. "I remember hearing people talking about their children and all I thought was that they were a pain. It's different when they're your own.." 

   "It's a topic that I still need to breach with Miri. She's depressed over the topic due to her benign neoplasm, but thanks guys! So what's on the agenda?" William asked, sitting beside Joker. 

    "Shepard, You'll never guess what! I managed to find a karaoke machine down in the scrap yards. Bought it for 200 credits! I had Edi take a look at it and she assures me that it works like a gem!" Joker proudly claimed.

    Wrex and Grunt started laughing.

  "While I like singing just as much as the next krogan, I'm nowhere near drunk enough to even attempt it! Plus let's go and shoot something!" Wrex shouted as he pulled out his claymore. "This baby's sad because she feels underused. When I was travelling with you guys, I was up to my quads in corpses and I loved it!"

    Suddenly the door opened and a team of Asari consorts walked in holding trays of alcohol. James and Zaeed started to grin from ear to ear but after giving out the drinks, all the consorts seemed to converge on William.

    "Aria told us to take good care of you, Admiral. Make sure you don't forget your Afterlife experience.." One consort said seductively.

  William simply lifted his hands up to stop their advances. They all looked confused.

   "While I appreciate the offer ladies, I'm getting married in three days. I haven't been sleeping around and I'm not about to start now. If my friends would rather take up the offer then please work your charms on them but I'm fine." William said. The grin on Zaeed and James' faces grew even wider as the consorts dispersed around and began to give everyone, except William, lap dances. Simply sitting back and nursing a tumbler of Whiskey, he decided to contact Aria, see if she had anything to keep his trigger itch sated. After a few seconds, Aria's familiar face came up on screen.

   "How are you enjoying my gift Shepard?" Aria asked with an arched eyebrow.

   "They are very nice but I told them I'm good. By any chance, have you any trouble on the station? Or a shooting sim or anything?" William asked.

    "I don't have any shooting sims except for training purposes.. I run a much tighter ship now Shepard so no, I have no trouble on my station. What I do have though are fist fights down in the lower levels. It's a better way for people to sort out their problems without taking their guns out.. I'll have a shuttle waiting to take you and your guys down.." Aria mentioned.

    "Thanks Aria. You got your invite right? Forgot to ask you earlier.." Shepard said.

    "I'll see you on Rannoch.." Aria said before hanging up the call. Just as William went back to finishing his drink, one of the twins began to cry. Turning around, William noticed that one consort looking like a deer stuck in headlights when Aris had her arms outstretched calling her 'mommy'. Javik looked stoic, Wrex began to bellow in laughter and William found himself trying to stifle his own laughter. After a few moments, Javik simply stood and walked out, saying something about heading for the Normandy to put the twins to sleep. Joker followed close behind because since Edi was back on Earth with Miranda, her servers had been shut down and isolated off the system, so Joker was the only one with access outside William. After a few minutes, William decided to move the party onwards and downwards. Finding the shuttle parked right outside Afterlife, the whole party excluding Joker and Javik headed to the Pit.

   The pit was sort of like a gladiator arena but was build on an even grander scale. Capable of holding close to a million spectators, William noticed that Aria made it seem a lot smaller then it actually was.

    "Ahh Shepard, this is what I was talking about! Honest brutal combat. It's so beautiful that I'd cry if I had tear ducts." Wrex exclaimed.

    "How'd did you find out about this place?" Garrus asked.

   "Aria told me when I asked her." William simply stated.

   "Aria doesn't just tell you something when you ask her, Shepard. Does she owe you a life debt or something?" Garrus asked.

     "Well I helped her retake Omega during the war. She says that I'm her friend." William said.

   "Depending on who you ask that can be a good thing or a bad thing.." Garrus said.

    "Anyway, let's get to killing people!" Grunt shouted, running towards the contestant registration.

   "I suppose one or two matches will be ok.. How about a group effort?" William asked.

   Everyone agreed and after twenty minutes their team was called to compete. It seemed that once people had heard that the saviour of the galaxy was fighting, everyone wanted to come down and watch because The Pit was packed to the rafters.

     William cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. After a short while, James came up and clapped William on the shoulder.

   "Usually when someone has a stag, it's just alcohol, hookers and strip clubs, not bare knuckle fighting in the pit of a mining asteroid. But I like your style, Loco. Never change." James said.

   Shepard laughed. "Don't plan to Lt. Now lets go and punch something.

 

***Miranda***

Far, far away in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia, Miranda and the girls were getting ready to go out on the town. While Shepard said that Miranda couldn't do anything to further her beauty, Miranda was applying mascara to make her azure eyes stand out and a deep scarlet lipstick to finish it off. Finishing her look off with a slimming black dress and high heels, she was ready. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she stared herself down and noticed that she wore the same dress when Shepard proposed to her at his promotion party. As she wondered what he was doing with the lads, she was pulled back to reality by a sharp whack against the bathroom door.

    "Come on Cheerleader, some us weren't made perfect! We need time too!" Jack shouted.

   Miranda was happy that Jack had shown up but at times she really tried her patience. Grabbing her purse, she walked out of the bathroom, staring Jack down as she passed. Sitting down on the couch in her hotel suite, she began to flick through her messages as everyone else ran around to get ready. Soon a glass of white wine was put in front of her and looking up, she saw that it was Traynor, who was wearing black leather jacket and jeans for the event. Taking the glass from Sam, Miranda wasn't oblivious to the way Sam seemed to be staring at her. She was used to it because William did the same, all the time.

    "Shepard's a.. lucky.. man. Sorry.. Congratulations.." Sam said, her cheeks being slightly rosy.

   "Thank you Sam, but I'm more lucky to have him." Miranda said solemnly.

    "Can we please stop all this lovey dovey shit and go out and get fucking hammered! In more ways then one!" Jack shouted from right behind Miranda, causing her to jump slightly.

   "Damn it Jack! If I spilt this on my dress, you'd be spending tonight in a morgue!" Miranda said.

   "Don't put your panties in a twist. Just unwind and have some fun, pull that stick back outta your ass!" Jack said as she chugged from a bottle of whiskey.

   Miranda rubbed her forehead and Oriana ran up beside her before a fight started.

    "How about we all calm down and no one kills anyone tonight. We're here for Miranda. It's her night while she's still a free woman so we have to make it enjoyable for her.." Oriana said, glaring at Jack.

   Jack threw her hands in the air. "Fine, Fine! But if she doesn't loosen up, this party will be quieter then a funeral.."

   Miranda and Jack sat down across from each other while everyone else got ready. Eventually, Tali, who wore a formal version of her normal vestments, sat down between them.

     "How about we have a drink, relax and actually enjoy tonight? Hmm?" Tali asked.

   "I don't know what you're on about? I'm enjoying myself plenty.." Miranda said, sipping her wine. Suddenly she was briefly blinded by the flash of a camera. After Miranda recovered, she saw that Oriana was typing away on her omni-tool, looking very happy with herself.

     "Ori.. What are you doing?" Miranda asked.

    "Just reminding William what he's missing out on. We may have forbid you two from talking to each other but that doesn't mean that you can't see each other. Maybe it might get him in the mood and he might have a surprise for you on the wedding night?" Oriana replied, arching an eyebrow.

     Shortly, Edi came into the room, wearing a blue dress. She let everyone know that the skycar was outside, waiting to bring everyone downtown to a new club that had recently opened. Within a few minutes, Miranda's entire wedding party was sitting inside a private room, celebrating the short time Miranda had left until she was a married woman. Like always, everyone else was getting more and more ambitious with all the alcohol that they were consuming, while Miranda and Oriana were perfectly fine. When Chakwas decided to jump up on the table and start shouting, Miranda knew that everyone had enough, so now they were just chatting away. Time ticked away and after a while, Jack jumped up and walked out. Miranda decided to follow after her while Karen, who was now a bit more sober, recalled a tale where she had to treat a Krogan during her earlier days on Tuchanka, when a varren had bitten one of his quads off.

      Miranda found Jack talking on her omni-tool with someone. The conversation had ended before Miranda had found her but her interest was piqued all the same.

    "What are you up to?" Miranda asked, leaning against the doorway.

    "I'm just trying to breath some life into this tragedy.. We better get back before the fun does." Jack smirked while she passed Miranda. Miranda, never knowing what went through Jack's mischievous mind, went back to the party as fast as she could, fearing the absolute worst.

    Just as Miranda stepped in through the silk curtains, she found everyone laughing and shouting as three male strippers, were dancing in front of them. One of them spotted Miranda and headed in her direction but Jack stopped him saying that she had somewhere else to be. Miranda was confused but followed Jack back out again and followed her into a small room adjacent to the one that everyone else was in. If you listened closely, you could even hear them still laughing next door.

      "What are we doing here, Jack? What else do I have to do?" Miranda asked.

   "This is a little present that I came up with for you with help from Edi. In fact, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without her. Now sit down and enjoy the show, I'll be back afterward. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get me some of that show next door." Jack said, smirking again. Jack hit the lights as she walked out, leaving Miranda surrounded in darkness.

     After a few minutes of sitting in the dark, Miranda looked around the room. Still nothing. Just as she was about to get up however, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulder. Instinctively, she tried to hoist whoever it was over her shoulder but she seemed to move straight through them. Turning around, Miranda stared in shock at what seemed to be a VI of William. A naked VI of William and he seemed to be pleading to Miranda to sit back down, not with words but with his eyes. Miranda slowly sat back down in her chair, while the VI moved around her in all of it's naked splendour, or rather in all of William's naked splendour. Miranda felt the blood rush to her head and she knew that she was blushing. It had been a while since she and William had spent the night together intimately. Miranda noticed now what Jack had meant by Edi's help. Edi had obviously been able to monitor their evenings together on the Normandy and using that data, she had made a VI of William, that was perfect down to the minute detail. She could see the contours of his toned body, the burn scars, the surgery marks as well as the tattoo that he had on his shoulder. When Garrus and William first became brother's in arms, they had gotten identical tattoo's on their shoulders. William had two snipers in the shape of an 'X' with Vakarian written underneath. It was quite surprising at just how detailed Edi's job had been. Maybe Miranda might go and have a chat with Edi about procuring the data, strictly for study purposes.

      As the VI continued, Miranda's mind began to go foggy as she remembered William holding her back in the engine room. It had been far too long since they had any bit of intimate time together, the last time being when William had come to see her on the Citadel and see had asked him for Spectre resources. While it had pained her deeply to have been away for so long, She couldn't sit idly by while her father got his hands on Ori. But in that one occasion, she had been selfish towards her sister and had spent some time with the first man she had ever loved. Miranda had left William before he woke up but she was determined to come back to him. When William led the charge against Henry, the fact that he was there for her was all the sweeter. Miranda now realised that for an unknown length of time, the VI seemed to be standing up straight, it's features blank, seeming to be awaiting new orders. Deciding that she just wanted to relax with her friends for the rest of the night, she ordered another skycar, grabbed the girls from the room next door and retreated back to the hotel that they were staying in.

 

***William***

The Pit was great. The crowd only seemed to grow larger and larger, but the other combatants just got more and more ruthless in their attempts to defeat the saviour of the galaxy. While William had seven other people fighting on his side, unless they got involved, which they did, everyone else seemed to converge on him. For the past twenty minutes, William was fighting a Krogan that was simply named 'The Wall'. He had only one eye and several scars across his arms and face. William ducked beneath a right hook and threw the Krogan into the air with his biotics before Wrex hit him with another biotic blast, launching him out of the ring. This only seemed to fuel the crowds bloodlust and soon it had devolved from a gladiator style event into a free for all. People were jumping over the wall and joining in the fight. As the fight grew, William tried to look past the fighting and see if he could get the guys out before someone got seriously injured. Grunt was running through the crowd like a freight train before he collided with another Krogan. After they recovered, they started throwing punches, before Grunt kicked him in the knee, bringing him down and gave him another head butt to knock him out. William ducked under another punch and headed for the centre of the arena. More and more people were pouring in and just as William was about to do a Nova to clear the area, he got hit in the back of the head with something heavy and his vision went dark.

      William woke up later and his head was pounding. He tried to soothe the pain in his head but trying to move his arm proved impossible as the movement was excruciatingly painful. His right arm was in a cast and looking around, he realised that he wasn't on Omega anymore. He was lying in the med bay on the Normandy. It was strange just how quiet it was without Edi being on board. Clutching his arm as tight to his body as he could, William sat up on the bed, no sooner had he sat up had the guys all spilled into the med-bay laughing.

    "Hey Guys... What happened out there?" Shepard asked, chuckling.

   "Some Pyjak thought he'd chance his arm at trying to knock you out. Problem is, he did chance his arm and possibly some years off his life. No one hurts my battlemaster. Saw him get carried off." Grunt explained as Garrus slipped a small glass of whiskey into William's only free hand.

     "That should numb the pain until we can get you back to Chakwas. But yeah, after you got knocked out, the fighting stopped and we brought you back to the Normandy. Aria suggested we leave before someone else felt like throwing a punch. As well as that, the guy that Grunt almost killed was a Blood Pack Captain and people were not happy. Hopefully though, with all those expensive cybernetics that Cerberus gave you will at least set your arm back before we get to Earth. Miranda will kill me if she sees you like that..." Garrus said, gesturing to his arm.

    "She'll aim for me first. Thanks guys.. I couldn't ask for a better bunch to be with." William said, lifting his glass into the air.

    "Cheers!" Everyone shouted, lifting their own glasses up high.

   "Uh.. Shepard? We should be hitting the Sol Relay in about five hours. If you want to keep the party going, that's all the time you have." Joker said over the intercom.

    "I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading for the lounge. Anyone here any way decent at mixing drinks?" William said, standing up.

   James lifted his hand slowly so William designated him bartender for the remainder of his party.

   William sunk into the leather couch sitting in the corner of the lounge. Everyone else spilled into the room and James started making a drink he simply dubbed 'the Commander'. William asked what was in it but James only replied with silence. Once everyone had sat down, Jacob said,

    "Commander, tell one of your craziest stories. Someone with your track record of close calls must have some good ones."

  William laughed. "Jacob. You call me either William or Shepard. Anyway, do you want to hear the story of how I killed a self-proclaimed god? What about mutated Protheans? Or the one where we destroyed Cronos Station?"

   "We know all of those Shepard, but what about your childhood? Teenage years? Quiet moments with Miranda?" Garrus asked, his mandibles twitching.

   Before William continued, James slipped a glass into his hand, beckoning  him to take a drink. William eyed the liquid suspiciously but he obliged. William was very happy with it, strong and yet refreshing on the palette.

   "What the hell is in this James. It's delicious!" William urged.

   "Not telling. It's a family secret and not even a reaper could get it out of me. What about that story, Admiral?" James said as he went back to mixing drinks.

   "I do have a story that I haven't even told Miri.. Back when I activated the Catalyst, My father visited me in my dreams.." William explained.

  Wrex laughed. "Well if my father visited my dreams, I'd kill that old pyjak all over again. I just hope that some day, my own kids will have the quads to try and kill me. They'll all fail but it'll be some laugh."

   "If my dad came to me, I'd show him how a proper father acts!" Jacob spat. "If I ever act like my father around my daughter, I hope either Bryn will slap some sense into me or she takes the poor girl off me."

   "How is the married life?" William said, nursing his drink.

   "Oh believe me, I wouldn't trade it for anything because it's what I've always wanted. Walking up beside Bryn. Feeling her close to me, seeing her smile, it's heaven.." Jacob said, dreamingly.

    "Eve is just a huge pain in my ass. I swear that I wouldn't trust anyone else to run Tuchanka alongside me but damn if she hasn't me gripped by the quads..." Wrex groaned. Grunt began to bellow and Wrex just leered at him.

    "Your plates must just be getting soft, old man." Grunt said. Wrex jumped up out of his chair and stood in front of Grunt. Wrex was baring his teeth but Grunt just stared him down. Suddenly Wrex started laughing and was soon followed by Grunt. "Don't change Grunt. Don't change."

   The guys continued to talk and laugh until Joker came back on over the intercom.

   "Ditch the drinks guys and hide Shepard. We're almost home and the groom isn't to see the bride until the big day..

 

***Miranda***

Soon everyone was back in the hotel suite and Miranda had ditched the expensive clothes for simple loungewear. Pyjamas and a silk bathrobe. While everyone else was cleaning off the make-up for simpler get-ups, Miranda had poured herself another glass of white wine and took up a comfortable position on the couch. Jack soon came into the sitting room and jumped onto the opposite couch, lying down.

   "Thank you" Miranda said. Jack had been looking at the ceiling but had turned her attention to Miranda when she broke the silence.

  "What? What are you talking about?" Jack said, turning onto her side. Miranda welcomed the rare instances of genuine conversation with Jack. While they were far from being dear friends, they began to get along for William's sake since they would have to see each other so often.

   "You know.. the whole saving Will from the biotic bubble, bringing me out for my bachelorette party. Just being a friend, I suppose." Miranda said, taking a sip of her drink. 

    "You're welcome... Miranda." Jack said, turning her attention back to the ceiling. The fact that Jack had used her first name was surprise in and of itself but before Miranda could say anymore, the gang had began to pour out of the bathroom and bedroom and the silence was gone. Oriana turned on the heating before sitting down beside Miranda.

    "So why are we back here and not downtown ogling?" Jack said to no one in general.

    "What? I wanted to relax for the rest of the night. As well as that, seeing that VI made me realise that I miss my fiancé..." Miranda said, mumbling the last part into her wine glass.

   "Well, how about we play some 'never have I ever'?" Oriana suggested while clapping her hands together.

    "I don't understand this game? Are there controllers or am I over thinking things?" Edi said.

    "Oh, Edi my dear girl, you are way over thinking things. Believe me, things get a lot better when no one here is sober. And on that note, if you'll follow me into the kitchen, I'll explain the game while I also get some beer.." Oriana said as she stepped over the various pairs of legs thrown up on the coffee table. Jack started to laugh.

   "What's so funny?" Tali said, checking out her omni-tool.

     "Unless we change the game, Cheerleader over there will pass out after the first few rounds..." Jack said, slugging her drink.

     "I have some experience outside of infiltration and death defying missions." Miranda stated, glaring at Jack once again.

    "Alright then. Never have I ever slept with someone for the shits and giggles." Jack said, looking around the room.

     Jack was the first to take a drink, followed by Samara, and Chakwas. Chakwas was a surprise to everyone and Jack laughed again, saying that someday, the 'Doc' would have to spill her secrets.

    "Never have I ever had to combat a hack attempt from collectors at max capacity processing.." Edi said. Everyone turned to Edi before breaking into a fit of giggles while Edi just looked confused.

    "Edi, the situation has to be more relevant, like I don't know, maybe seeing a Krogan's quads or something.." Oriana explained. Chakwas took another drink.

   "Seriously, Doc, you will spill the stories some day even if I have to torture them out." Jack said, laughing.

    "Never have I ever seen Jeff's genitalia.." Edi said, taking a drink.

   Everyone was quiet until Chakwas took another drink.

    "What? I'm the Normandy's only physician. What did you expect?" Chakwas said.

   Soon, it was Miranda's turn. Tali had to tap out of the game before she got alcohol poisoning and more secrets of Karen's past came to light so she was quite drunk.

    "Never have I ever condemned a whole ship full of criminals to being spaced.." Miranda said, glaring at Jack. She said it slowly as to try and rile Jack up.

    "I'd do it again." Jack said, slugging her third beer.

   "Never have I ever been a pompous bitch!" Jack spat, leering at Miranda.

   "Is that the best you got?" Miranda said, taking a sip of her wine. It quickly became apparent that either side was using this game to just try and insult each other, so the rest of the party went off talking and chatting until both Miranda and Jack rose from their seats, both glowing blue.

    "Listen here, bitch! I only agreed to be nice when Shepard was around. I wonder would he be mad if I damaged your pretty face?!" Jack spat, once again.

    "That's if you can even land a punch, you bitch." Miranda said, gesturing for Jack to take the first punch. 

         Jack bared her teeth before running up and taking a swing. Miranda sidestepped and tripped Jack. Jack jumped back up and swung once again but caught Miranda in the stomach, winding her. While she was immobilised, Jack gave Miranda an uppercut to the face, hitting her right eye. Miranda recoiled back and as Jack was about to swing again, she was tackled to the floor by Oriana. Miranda bared her teeth, before getting tripped by Oriana, lying beside Jack.

      "Can you two just calm the fuck down! I swear, you two together, you're like children! Now, I just got a message from James. The Normandy is almost back in the Sol system, so we're to meet them at Sydney Spaceport in five hours time. Take that time to sort your shit out!" Oriana shouted, before standing up and storming off.

     Jack went off into one room, while Miranda followed Oriana into the kitchen. While Miranda's genetic improvements had also included a higher alcohol resistance, she had drank so much, she was definitely feeling the influence and now she just felt horrible. As she crossed the doorway, an ice pack was flung in her direction which Miranda managed to catch. As she carefully placed it over her eye, Miranda looked at Oriana who was sitting against the kitchen island.

     "I thought our first sisterly shouting match would be over clothes or make-up or something normal. Not having to stop my sister from killing someone. What is the problem with you too?" Oriana asked.

      "It's a long story but I'm sorry. I ruined the night and I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the way I acted and I'm sorry for being a total bitch. It seems that I can be an angry drunk. Are you any good with foundation. I don't want to have a black eye in my wedding photo's.." Miranda chuckled. She winced soon after as her eye stung.

    "Seriously? Look at my face and ask me again if I'm any good.. You know that you're not the only Lawson that knows how to look good. I'll be the last one soon though, Mrs Shepard.." Oriana said before standing up and hugging Miranda. "Now go and apologise to Jack. And I swear if you antagonise her again, you'll have two black eyes to deal with."

    "Thanks Ori. I suppose I should, shouldn't I.." Miranda said before handing Ori back the Ice pack and slowly walking out of the kitchen in fear of her legs going out from underneath her. "I swear, the last time I was this drunk was the night we killed the collectors..." Oriana laughed.

    Miranda walked up to the bathroom door and gave three brief rasps against the door. No response. After a few minutes, she gave another three rasps. Still no answer.

     "Jack! I'm sorry alright! I'm sorry that I antagonised you and I'm sorry for being a bitch!" Miranda shouted. Tali gave a quick chuckle from the sitting room and Miranda sighed. Just as Miranda was about to walk away, the bathroom door was flung open and Jack stood in the doorway grinning.

    "Well that's all I wanted to hear. Apology accepted, Cheerleader." Jack said before heading into the room to grab her stuff.

    "It's a shame that we didn't get to stay here for the night.. I wonder if something happened to William and the guy's on Omega?"

 

***No Specific POV***

Six hours later, the Normandy had landed in Sydney, Picked up her crew, refuelled and was headed to the Citadel so William could make sure that nothing needed his immediate attention until he was back after his honeymoon in a few weeks time. Miranda was in the med bay, trying to find something to make the swelling in her eye go down. It was during night hours so the crew was asleep. The door slid open and Miranda jumped when she heard who had come in.

    "I know that it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but I'm missing yo upstairs and I was hoping to see Chakwas about my arm." William said. He winced when he saw Miranda's black eye. In a flash, he was cupping her cheek with his good arm, looking at the damage.

    "Jesus, what happened your eye?" William asked.

   "My eye?! What happened your arm?" Miranda asked. Suddenly they started laughing but soon stopped due to their respective injuries.

    "Seems neither of us had a very good party. I did miss you though. Very much so." William whispered in her ear, before kissing her left cheek.

   "I don't know about you but Jack and Edi programmed a naked VI of you to give me a strip show. It was fun.." Miranda said, winking her left eye.

    William just stood there, shocked while Miranda managed to find some cream for her face and some painkillers for William. Slipping past William, she slipped the tablets into his hand and gave him a quick chaste kiss on the forehead.

     "As for missing me, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait, but believe me, it'll be worth it." Miranda said before leaving the med bay.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: The Wedding

Rannoch was slowly being re-populated as more and more Quarians returned to their ancestral home, eager to repair the damage from the War. Today however, it was full of Dignitaries, Leaders, Military Officers, and Friends of the couple, coming to Rannoch to attend William and Miranda's Wedding. The suns had begun to set and the sky was a myriad of colours. Set upon the cliff in which the Quarian/Geth Cohabitation Act was signed, the setting couldn't have been better. Reporters Allers and Al-Jilani, along with their crew were vicious in their efforts to get their stories but Grunt was doing a great job at crowd control.

 

*Miranda*

     In the bride's changing room, Miranda was stressed. More so than usual. While she usually had everything meticulously planned out, Oriana had taken up the rest of the planning. Now her hair stylist still hadn't shown up and time was running short.

    "Where the hell is that damn stylist! I'm meant to be walking down the aisle in forty-five minutes!" Miranda said.

    "It's alright Miri, she'll be here soon. Just calm down. Stress causes wrinkles you know.." Oriana added with a grin. Miranda stared at her, viciously.

    "You're the one who hired the damn stylist! You're the one giving me these damn wrinkles.." Miranda shouted, raising her hand to ease her growing headache. Oriana just replied with a laugh.

    Shortly after, there was a knock at the door. Miranda seemed to relax until she saw who it was. Oriana opened the door to reveal Jack. She was wearing a simple tuxedo and she also had a glass in her hand.

    "Hey Princess. You having trouble? I could hear you while I was over talking to Shepard.." Jack said, walking past Oriana.

    "I don't have time for this Jack! My stylist is missing and if I don't hurry, I'll be holding up my own wedding. I swear, when I see that damn stylist I may kill her.." Miranda said, looking back into her mirror. Jack laughed before placing her drink down on the table.

    "What are you doing?" Miranda asked.

   "I'm going to style your hair before you pull it all out. I suppose I owe you for being a pain over the last few days." Jack said before she pulled up her sleeves.

    "Oh no! First of all, You are not styling my hair and second of all, a pain over the last few months! I don't want shaved sides or some ponytail for my wedding!" Miranda shouted.

    "I'll take that as a compliment. You may not have realised this but I am a girl like you. Maybe not as girly-girl like you but I can style hair. I promise not to screw you over. I owe both you and Shepard that much. Well Shepard at least.." Jack said, urging Miranda to sit still. Miranda was against the idea until she realised that Jack was her best chance at getting ready in time. Grabbing the glass sitting on her dresser, Miranda downed the glass and tried to relax, while Jack styled away. 

    "Thank you. Now you! Cheerleader Junior! get over here. You'll be helping me." Jack said. As Jack was styling, Miranda began to think of how William was doing.

 

*William*

On the other side of the impromptu site set up for the wedding, William was sorting out his dress blues. His medals lay across his chest, shining in the evening sun light coming in through the window. Garrus was inside in the changing room, putting on his own custom tuxedo for the evening. A nice combination of light Turian battle armour and formal occasion robes.  William stood before the large mirror standing in the corner of the room, trying to make sure that he was looking perfect. Suddenly a hard knock came to the door and William walked over and stared out through the porthole to see who it was. It was his mother, Dana.

     William opened the door and his mother walked in. Just as soon as William had shut the door behind her, Dana had wrapped her arms around her son and embraced him. William returned the sentiment just as fast.

    "Hey Mom. Coming to check up on me, huh? Doing some scouting for Miri?" William asked before he started to laugh.

    "No.. I know that you're in good hands.." Dana said, gesturing to the door that Garrus was standing behind. "I do have something for you though, It belonged to your father."

   Dana walked around William and fished a small velvet box out of her purse. Placing it on his dressing table, she gestured for William to take it and open it. William picked up the box and ran his fingers along the soft velvet. With a swift flick of his thumb, he opened the box to reveal a set of flawless platinum cufflinks. They had the Alliance insignia pressed onto their tops with the name 'Shepard' written around the edge in cursive.

    "He got them a long time ago, before you were even born in fact. With the way that you went from battlefield to battlefield, jumping from gurney to hospital bed, I had feared that I'd never be able to give them to you. Your father wore them on our wedding day, and now you'll wear them on yours." Hannah said before wiping the small tears away from her face. William hugged his mother once again before slipping on the cufflinks.

   "Thanks Mom.. I'm just happy that one of you are here today. It means the world." William said.

    "Not even God would have the power, or the gall to pull me away today. Plus I'm not snitching on how good Miranda looks, we both know that's bad luck." Dana chuckled before she turned to leave the room. Stopping at the doorpost, Dana looked over her shoulder at William, who still kept his eyes on his mother. "She's perfect for you, you know. I'm happy for you two." Then Dana left, letting the door close behind her.

   William quickly went back to messing with his clothes in the mirror, taking another minute to admire his father's cufflinks. Then William heard a whisper coming from the closet behind him.

   "Oh sorry Garrus. Forgot you were in there actually. You ready yet?" William asked, leaning against the table.

    "I've been ready for a while but coming from a military family, I understand how hard it is to talk about emotions so I didn't want to ruin the moment. Your mother is gone right?" Garrus asked.

    "Yeah, she's gone. You have to meet her today though, I swear you're the closest thing I have to a brother. You being here means the absolute world to me. Thank you." William said, embracing Garrus in a brotherly hug. Garrus reciprocated the feeling.

    "No problem. As for the whole sibling thing, you're lucky. I swear, Solana can be a huge pain in my ass sometimes. Almost as much as the bullet wounds I've gotten, following you around the galaxy. Oh, yeah, don't forget the rocket that almost took half my face off. Still, chicks dig scars.." Garrus said. William laughed before giving himself one more look over in the mirror.

    "You know, you're to meet me at the bar afterwards. We made one pact while out of our minds drunk. Maybe we should make another?" Garrus said, holding the door open.

   "If I get THAT drunk again, especially at my wedding, you do realise that Miri will kill me. My mother would hold me down." William said.

    "I can almost see the headlines now. 'Alliance Admiral survives wars, reapers, even comes back from the dead. Is no match for his aging mother and newlywed wife.' Copies would sell out, books would be written.." Garrus said as he moved his arms through the air in an arc.

   William gave Garrus a nudge on the arm as he passed by him, heading for the altar.

 

*Miranda*

The minutes seemed to drag on forever while Jack toyed around with Miranda's hair. To try and ease her frantic nerves, Miranda had picked up a magazine that she found laying on the table beside her. Flicking through the pages, Miranda couldn't find anything interesting in it, despite flicking through the pages almost fifteen times. Miranda threw the magazine at the wall and groaned in annoyance. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Oriana looking down at her, urging her to calm down.

    "I warned you already about the stress, Miri. I don't think Shepard is here to marry his grandma! Now just calm down!" Oriana said.

    "Ori! That isn't funny! I swear, I've killed people, infiltrated cartels, gangs, and as you know, we've also killed the Reapers. I think I can handle my wedding day!" Miranda said, frustrated.

    "Well, if that's the case, take whatever you have up your ass, out because something is making you shake, and it's messing up this bloody mop that you call hair!" Jack pointed out. Miranda sighed again and Oriana placed her hand on Miranda's shoulder.

   "It's ok to be nervous, Miri. It's your wedding day! Be happy, be sad, be excited. Be whatever the hell you want to, just accept the fact that your nervous. I'd say William is probably as sick with nerves as you, so you're not alone and after today, you never will be." Oriana said.

    "Fine! I am nervous. In fact, I've never been this nervous and I'm panicking. I don't know what to do!" Miranda exclaimed.

  Suddenly, someone started laughing from behind them and Oriana turned around to see Dana.

   "Believe me, Miranda. If you weren't nervous, I could tell you right now that this marriage wouldn't last very long. The nerves are a good sign, despite the fact that if you're anything like me, you're sick to the pit of your stomach. I will tell you though, as much as William may seem controlled on the outside, that boy is a mess on the inside." Dana said.

   "Oh Dana, Thank you. My head is a mess and now the actual ceremony is so close.. As you've already overheard, I'm panicking." Miranda chuckled dryly. Dana walked over and held Miranda's hand. This seemed to distract her and she had stopped moving. Oriana and Jack immediately started finishing up with her hair.

   Miranda stared at Dana. Felt her hand being caressed by Dana's thumb. She could feel her heart rate slowing down and she began to breathe deeply and slowly. Miranda began to feel much better and realised that the way Dana was acting, was the way of a mother, calming a distressed child. It was a beautiful feeling and one that was sorely lacking from Miranda's childhood. After a while, Miranda was pulled out of her state of euphoria by Jack, telling her that her hair was finally finished. Dana tapped her on the hand and stood up, followed closely by Miranda.    

    Standing in front of the mirror, Miranda stared at herself, while her veil was pinned to her hair. Taking a deep breath, she made sure that she looked perfect, that she had her bouquet and walked out behind Dana, to meet Oriana. Jack gave Miranda a thumbs up before she walked away to join the growing crowd outside. A short walk away, Oriana stood waiting for Miranda. While Oriana was Maid of Honour, she was also going to walk Miranda down the aisle. Miranda linked arms with her sister.

   "You ready, sis?" Oriana asked, admiring her.

   "My nerves are shot but who said you had to be calm on your wedding day? I swear, I've done some crazy things over the years and I've never felt this nervous before.." Miranda said, before taking a deep breath.

   "Well as Dana said earlier, if you weren't so nervous, we'd be worried about you two. Now smile Miri, It's your big day!" Oriana said as she threw the double doors open.

 

 

 

When everything is settled, William was sure that he'd ask Miranda to spend a holiday or two on Rannoch. The weather couldn't have been any better. The suns were dimming and a marquee had been put up. William wasn't sure if his palms were sweaty because of the stagnant humidity or because of his nerves. Looking through the crowd, William saw Garrus' father, sitting beside Primarch Victus. Eve sat further back, surrounded by her children. Jack sat in the front row, beside Kaylee Saunders. Joker would have been sitting beside Edi, if he had jumped at the chance when William asked him to be a groomsmen. Beside her was Chakwas, and then Javik, cradling his own children.

      Since becoming an Admiral, William was always surrounded by bodyguards, most of which served under him aboard the Normandy and they were also scattered around, hiding in plain sight. Then in the front row also sat the soon-to-be impeached councillors and Dalatrass Lenron. Why they had shown up, nobody knows but William suspected it had to be an attempt to save face and repair their broken images. William was delighted that so many showed up but now he was just waiting for Miranda, the one person who he really couldn't wait to see.

     Soon, the band stood up and started to play the wedding march. Heads turned and watched as Jacob's daughter, Camilla, walked down the aisle throwing rose petals. All of the alien guests stared at the small girl in confusion, wondering why she was littering all over the aisle. When Camilla spotted her father, she dropped the basket and ran up to him, jumping into his arms. William tried to stifle his laughter but it proved to be harder then he thought. Jacob gave Camilla a kiss on the top of her head and instructed her to go and sit with Bryn, telling her not to forget to grab her discarded basket on the way. Camilla giggled as she ran back to her mother.

    After that little set back, the band continued playing and William stared down the aisle with bated breath. William nervously scratched the back of his neck to try and settle his nerves. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he saw Miranda, who was linked with Oriana. The veil rippled in front of her face as the wind gently blew. Like always, William couldn't take his eyes off her, watching her hips sway slowly, or trying not to notice how perfect she looked in her dress. He was eventually pulled from his trance by a slight nudge by Garrus and when he gingerly took Miri's hands, Oriana gave him a cheeky grin before slipping off to the side to join the bridesmaids.

     Wrex stood up on the centre stage, wearing a set of formal robes. He looked strange outside of his armour but it was a welcome change. The band stopped playing and everyone's attention turned to the spouses-to-be.

      "We're all here together to celebrate the joining of these two here before us. While I can't stand to be in front of some of you pyjak's today, I made an exception for my good friend Shepard here." Wrex said, looking to Lenron, who sat in the front row. She moved uncomfortably in her chair, avoiding eye contact.

    "I've sat in my shuttle for the past two hours looking at how a human marriage ceremony usually goes, so if any of you have any objection to how this goes, take it up with my claymore. Anyway, we are here today to share in the celebration of the joining of two lives into one. William Shepard and Miranda Lawson. While I unfortunately never managed to travel with them together, the memories that I have of fighting alongside Shepard are some of the fondest memories of my long life. I have heard from Grunt however, that Miranda is a vicious warrior in her own right so really I can't think of a better partner for each other... Ah damn! I'm not any good at these gushy things! I'll just skip to the good parts! Shepard, do-" Wrex said before he was cut in by William.

      "Before we say the "I do's", I want to say my vows!" William whispered. Miranda nodded in agreement. Wrex sighed.

    "Since these two want to say their vows, so I'll just step to one side, before I go crazy from all these gushy feelings." Wrex said before stepping off the platform. No one said anything for a few seconds until Miranda gestured for William to go first. Clearing his throat, William put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out some cards. It had taken him a while to write all his feelings down on the few sheets of paper, having thrown them away several times. He felt that they still weren't good enough, or the right enough to describe how he felt for Miranda. Now, while standing in front of everyone, he still thought they weren't good enough. His throat had run dry and he was nervous. Very nervous.

    "Alright... well.. this is a lot harder then I thought it would be. I'm very grateful that everyone could be here today but really I'd be just as nervous if it was just me and Miri." William said before facing Miranda again.

    "Miranda. My friend, my companion, My wife... I can still remember waking up on that cold, sterile bed on Lazarus station. I can remember your eyes on mine, your hands on my shoulders, and the strange calm I felt despite the fact that I also felt as though my heart would explode out of my chest. I can remember fighting alongside you as we rescued Oriana from the Eclipse, rescued our crew and our friends from the Collectors and especially all the beautiful nights that we have spent together. Before I returned to the Alliance, despite what many could think, I tried to stall my time with you. I knew that we might never see each other again and that simple fact hurt me. I never wanted to let go of you but then I began to feel as though I was being selfish. We would all have to help in order to survive the war that followed but I didn't want to. I wanted to spend my time with you, and only you.

     I have to admit, I was ecstatic when you reached out to me on the Citadel. I was saddened by the fact that you couldn't join me again but I knew that you had to help Oriana. I trusted you and I would have dropped everything to try and help you if you had only asked, but again I would have been selfish. You are the reason that I kept fighting. You are the reason that I was able to get up in the morning and go to sleep at night, despite the utter hell that we had fought through. I love you, Miranda Lawson and I plan to show you exactly how much. It may take me until the end of time, but I'll show you." William said, staring into Miranda's eyes. They were full of emotion just like William's. Now it was Miranda's turn to talk. She cleared her own throat and stared at William.

    "William. I.. had something memorised for this but I seem to have forgotten the words... that's a first. You mean more to me then I can sum up in a few meaningless words, and that's all they would be, meaningless. When I think back nowadays to seeing you thrown up on that slab back on Lazarus, you were just a job to me. The Illusive man was just telling me to do something and I knew that I had to get it done. What I never realised though was from that point onwards, you slowly became very important to me. Until you were standing again, you were my project. When you were standing again, you were who I had to watch over and make sure that you didn't become a liability. Quickly however, you became my friend, my confidant. After saving Oriana, you became one of the very few people that I could say I trusted with my life. I began thinking of you then less of a job, or project and more so as an actual person. I understood why people willingly followed you anywhere. I adored our chats down in my office, I stared at you more then what could be considered professional when we were across the room from each other, and I began to dread our mission to the centre of the galaxy. Again, they were emotions that I wouldn't dare let surface, but I was worried about you. I cared for you on the same level as my sister, if not more, and a loss like that might have broken me.

    When the Illusive man ordered me to kill you, I felt an anger swell up inside me. An anger that I haven't felt since the last time I had seen my father. I was angry that it had taken me so long so see the Illusive man's true agenda, that he thought that I'd blatantly follow his orders to kill you when you had become so important to me, but more so because, I was betrayed by someone that I thought I could trust but who only wanted to use me. You, however, never asked for anything. You did what you did for us all out of friendship, not that you felt you had to. You helped me find myself and for that, I may never be able to repay you. Because of you, I now have a proper family, and I will spend as long as I have to, to show you have much I appreciate you and love you, even if it takes me the rest of my days. I love you, but if you ever almost die on me again like you did at the crucible, I may just have to finish the job." Miranda said. William was crying now and he quickly embraced Miranda before leaving go of her again. Wiping his face on his sleeve, William stared around looking for Wrex to continue the ceremony. He was nowhere to be seen.

    "Do you want to finish this together then?" William chuckled.

     "Alright." Miranda said, chuckling aswell.

    "Do you, Miranda Isolde Lawson, take I, William Andrew Shepard to be your lawfully wedded husband. Through sickness and health, bad times and good, do you promise to stay with me?" William asked, looking at Miranda intensely.

    "I do." Miranda said, while William slipped the gold band onto her ring finger. Miranda stared at her engagement ring and now her wedding band, lying side by side before she then took Williams own hands into her own.

    "Do you, William Andrew Shepard, take I, Miranda Isolde Lawson to be your lawfully wedded wife, through sickness and health, bad times and good. Do you promise to stay beside me forever?" Miranda asked.

   "I do, in this life and the next. Always." William said as Miranda slipped his own ring on.

    "Then by the power vested in me, by me, I now pronounce you two married." Wrex shouted from the open bar, holding a glass of Ryncol.

   "Just bloody kiss already!" Jack shouted from the front row.

    "Don't mind if I do.." William said with a mischievous grin on his face. Suddenly, Miranda grabbed William by the shoulders and dipped him low, kissing him deeply. He nearly lost his footing and fell back but he quickly steadied himself. The crowd exploded in laughter and in a wave of cheers, except for the Dalatrass, who sat in the front row, slowly clapping. For a minute or two however, neither William or Miranda heard much. They were in their own little world, as happy as they've ever been if not more. Everything else just seemed to phase into the background. Suddenly though, Miranda felt her feet be swept up from underneath her and William started carrying her, bridal style, to the reception area.

    "William! Put me down! Now!" Miranda said, laughing.

    "Sorry about that, but no can do! Best enjoy the ride!" William said. Miranda threw her arms around William's neck so that she wouldn't fall while everyone showered them both in confetti as they went past.

    The reception area looked amazing. Bunting, lights and open air. While a few of the guests were very confused with how everything was set up, Tali had insisted that if Miranda and William had allowed her to host the occasion, she'd at least make it look the same as though they held it on earth. While the newlywed's walked around chatting with their friends and the various other officials that had shown up, various species walked around carrying trays full of various liquors. Quarians happily talked to the Geth units, and William would occasionally look around, delighted that all of those stupid hatchets had been buried.

            After a while, everyone flocked to the banquet tables, which were full of magnificent dishes of various ethnicities. William and Miranda sat side by side along a table with their friends beside them, chatting and laughing together. William had opted to act the romantic and slowly kissed Miranda along her neckline, despite her objections for him to stop so that she could finish her dinner. Once the meal was finished, Garrus stood up to make a toast. Tapping his glass against the table soon grabbed everyone's attention.

     "Welcome all. I'm not very good at speeches or even being the centre of attention so I'll keep this short. This custom isn't natural to us Turians, so having to pull together a speech was new to me. I've known Shepard for quite a while now. We've been all over the galaxy together and I'm proud to be his friend and brother-in-arms. We've had our fair share of adventures and close calls but no matter what, we've managed to pull through it. We've taken down rogue Spectres, the Collectors and even Reapers. While I'm going to take a break from the adventures for a while, I'd say that William is just about to start a new one, and it's one that I wish him and Miranda good luck on.

      When I met Miranda Lawson, she was different to who she is now. To tell the truth, at first I thought she was a bit of a bitch but before she tears my mandibles off, I'm ashamed now to have thought it. She did help repair my beautiful face after I tried to eat a missile for lunch, but I'm pretty sure that it didn't agree with me. She has become my friend. Miranda and Shepard go together like a sniper and his rifle... I'm sorry for the poor analogies but they are seriously the best ones I have... I'm grateful for the time I spent with these two and I hope that it doesn't end anytime soon. Sure, without it I'd never have met my dear friends or my beautiful girlfriend, Tali Zorah." Garrus said, gesturing to Tali who sat beside him. Every pair of eyes turned on her, and William knew that if she wasn't wearing her helmet, she'd be blushing. Garrus raised his glass in the air.

    "To the Shepard-Lawson's. May you have each other's back in this life and the next." The sound of colliding glasses rang out into the air.

          Soon after, it was time to cut the cake. It was an impressive sight, easily standing an inch taller then any Turian, Hanar, or Geth Prime unit present. William stood beside Miranda, both hugging eachother's waist with one arm while they cut the cake together with their free hands. There were a few identical cakes made of various food types so that everyone could have a piece.

     At long last, it came to the part that William had been waiting for. The couple's first dance together as husband and wife. Unbeknownst to Miranda, William had practiced the waltz in private for hours on end because he knew that his dancing skills were just infamously horrible. The band played some soft music as William and Miranda slowly made their way out onto the dance floor. William laid his hand on Miranda's hip while she laid her own hand on William's shoulder. Interlacing their fingers, William and Miranda went through the paces slowly and Miranda was surprised that William wasn't standing on her dress or her feet. Miranda knew that William was good on a battleground, but he was surprisingly scary on a dance floor. Leaning in close, Miranda whispered in William's ear.

    "Who are you and what have you done with my husband? He was never this good at dancing before.."

  William smirked slightly and leaned in to reply.

    "I may or may not have spent some nights watching vids on how to waltz properly. Strictly for research purposes only and sure who knows, maybe I knew that I'd need the skills one day.." Miranda laughed and pulled William closer to her. She could feel his breath on her neck and her mind ran away on her. While she was delighted to spend this time with her family and friends, Miranda was more excited about spending the night with William. Oriana had been keeping a close eye on them so that they couldn't do anything until their wedding night. She had a lot planned for later on and god have mercy on anyone who tried to disrupt them. Miranda was pulled out of her daydreams, when William gave her a gentle twirl and pulled her back in for a passionate kiss in the middle of the dance floor. The crowd around them cheered loudly. Shortly after, the music sped up once again and William and Miranda stepped off. Leaving Miranda for a minute in order to get himself a drink, William was surprised to see Admiral Hackett leaning against the bar, sipping a drink.

      Stepping in close to the bar, William ordered himself a Serrice Ice brandy, and a glass of their nicest white wine for Miranda.

    "Congratulations again on the nuptials, Shepard. Beautiful ceremony." Hackett said, before taking another sip of his drink.

     "Thanks Steven. How are you and your wife?" William asked.

   "Oh, she's here somewhere.. she was always more of a social butterfly then I was. I rather smaller crowds.." Hackett replied.

    "Well I for one, haven't had enough experience to make a choice in the matter. I'm pretty sure that the last party I was at, was when I finished the N7 program and my folks decided to throw me a party. I've been running from battlefield to battlefield since..." William laughed. Grabbing both his own and Miranda's drinks, William turned. "Now Steven, If you'll excuse me, I've to give the missus her drink." William chuckled. Just as William was about to leave however, Hackett grabbed his arm and William turned around.

    "Enjoy this Shepard but just know that you will be key to re-establishing order in the galaxy and everyone will be looking to you to sort out who is representing each race. I'm not expecting you to call into work in the morning or anything but just remember that you do have a job to do. Now go and enjoy yourself and forget about what I just said for the next three weeks." Hackett said, joining the nearby crowd.

    William had a few ideas already about who he would put in charge and what rules and safeties he'd put in place in case of someone deciding to go like Udina and stage a coup, but that was a plan for another time and like he said, he had to give Miranda her drink. Weaving his way through the crowd, he soon found Miranda sitting down beside Jacob and Bryn, and Miranda had Camilla sitting in her lap. Miranda was messing with Camilla and she was grinning from ear to ear. She was happy but William knew that childbirth was a difficult topic for Miranda but decided that it was not a topic that he wanted to surface tonight so he snaked his way in beside Miranda and while he was leaning in to place her glass on the table, William kissed Miranda on the cheek and smiled.

    "Hey Miri, did I ever tell you that I love you?" William asked, wrapping his hand around her waist. Miranda looked at him for a second before turning all her attention to the small girl that was giggling in her arms.

    "Yeah, I believe you told me a few times but I'm still not sure I believe you. You'll have to prove the sincerity of your words while we're alone later.." Miranda said before she winked at William.

    "Jesus Miranda.. I'm pretty sure the galaxy knows how much you and Shepard love each other now... I've been checking the feeds and the wedding is being broadcast on every channel. I knew this wedding would be a big event, but not this big. It's being broadcast so far, I'm pretty sure that the passengers on the Andromeda Arks probably will be able to watch the video when they wake up in 628 years time. They'll even be able to send their good wishes to your great-great-great-gre.." Jacob said, before being cut off by Bryn.

    "What he means to say is congratulations you guys! Now Miranda, if you don't mind, I'll take Cami back. It's time for this little princess to go to sleep." Bryn said, holding her arms out for her daughter. Miranda happily complied but again, William noticed the disappointment in Miranda's eyes. While most wouldn't have seen the lightning fast reaction, William had become, an expert of sorts on how Miranda's eyes usually gave away her true feelings, and he knew what she was thinking..

   After wishing the Taylor's goodnight, William and Miranda snuggled up closely beside one another on a nearby couch. William gently swirled the glass of brandy in his hand while Miranda did the same with her wine glass. Miranda was resting her head in the crook of William's shoulder and William had his free hand slung loosely around Miranda's shoulder. People walked past them and seemed to ignore them, but they didn't mind. They sat there together in each other's arms while watching their friends party together. Turning to look at each other, both William and Miranda lost each other in the comfort and safety that they offered each other. After sharing another deep, slow kiss, Miranda leaned in again.

     "Well Mr. Shepard-Lawson, how do you feel about slipping away silently? I've something special packed away for your eyes only.." Miranda whispered, seductively.

     "Oh, I don't know, Mrs. Shepard-Lawson. I'm pretty sure that Edi wouldn't be so happy to allow us to stain the engine room floor again. In fact, I doubt we'd have done it the first time if Sergeant Adams was there when we fought the collectors. He loves that place!" William said, staring into space. Miranda flicked him on the nose, bringing his attention back to her.

    "I was talking about our private quarters! The present that you're about to unwrap is for your eyes, and your eyes only!" Miranda said, standing up. It didn't take much for William to follow close behind, and no one noticed their absence for the rest of the night.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

In a penthouse suite in a beautiful French hotel, both William and Miranda lay resting on a king size bed, holding each other closely. The sun had been shining in on top of them and it had woken Miranda up. Her mind was still racing after their consummation the night previous, so now she had just wrapped herself around her newlywed husband and began to run a gentle finger, in circles over his chest. After a while, Miranda just stopped and looked between the band on her finger and the identical one sitting on William's finger. They had finally done it, despite the odds, the challenges and the near constant attempts on their lives, they had found a way to be together and become one. She had been silently contemplating this day since that  wondrous night in the engine room all those months ago.

     Miranda would be lying if she said that she wasn't worried when William returned to the Alliance after they attacked the Collector base. He had apologised to Miranda, promised to return to her once he had kicked every last one of those Reapers back through the gates of hell from whence they came. But she also knew that he would be forced back into the arms of that stuck-up Ashley Williams. It was obvious that she had been appointed to his team just so she could keep an eye on him and report back if William decided to go against the Alliance. Miranda clenched her fist in anger but it soon dissipated and she held William just a small bit tighter. Now if Miranda was anything, it was being thorough. She knew about William and Ashley's previous relationship with each other but it seemed that after the episode on Horizon, William really had shut the door on that part of his life, despite the fact that Ashley had tried to pry it open again. They stayed good friends up until her death at the battle of London, but William never thought of her 'that' way ever again. Miranda was sad at Ashley's funeral not because they were friends , but rather she was there to support William and felt bad that he had lost a long time friend.

     After a while, William finally began to shift underneath Miranda and soon her steely grey eyes met William's vibrant blue ones. She could feel his arm tense around her, almost as though he thought it had all been a dream. A perfect beautiful dream. He stretched and Miranda could hear his shoulder pop. She then put her ear up to his chest and heard the soft, rhythmic thump of his heart. Right now, neither of them wanted to be anywhere else. Shepard bent down and kissed Miranda passionately on the lips. He acted with a sense of hunger and fervour that caught Miranda off guard, but she quickly recovered from the shock and replied in kind. After they broke apart to catch their breaths, Miranda said, breathlessly.

     "What.. was.. that?" 

     "I don't know but I felt as though I had to do it. I love you Mrs. Miranda Shepard-Lawson." William whispered.

    "I love you too Mr Shepard-Lawson. Now are we going to lie down all day or are we going to actually go and enjoy the sights of Paris?" Miranda said, waving her arm in a wide arc towards the window.

    Shepard began to lay sweet kisses along her neckline and soon Miranda forgot about leaving the loving embrace of her husband beside her. Her mind went cloudy and hazy as he whispered in her ear and began to gently bite down on her earlobe.

      "How about we stay here for a little while longer? The outside world isn't going anywhere soon. We have plenty of time to explore.." William continued to whisper.

     Things quickly began to escalate and Garrus and Tali who had agreed to act as honorary bodyguards were forced to listen as they had the room bugged in case of an intrusion. Garrus had quickly muted the feed before it got too bad but now they were both sitting in a room in silence.

    "So.. ah.. how are things on Rannoch? Garrus asked.

    "Yes.. things are going well. We've mostly set up outposts and such and we have yet to start building large scale but we've resumed farming and fishing. Turns out that our exile allowed our seas fish population to boom and now we are not facing the mass extinction of water mammals that our ancestors faced... but look at me, I'm rambling.. What about Palaven?" Tali said.

     "Cipritine took a massive hit. The death toll is so big that the Turian High Council doesn't think that we'll be able to bury them all on Palaven and now there are people revolting over that, calling it an insult to their sacrifice. I'd have to say that I agree. While I'm not the most devout Turian, after this hell of a war, the least we can do for the dead is make sure that they can rest on their home planet." Garrus said.

    Tali stood up and walked towards a small fridge in the kitchenette. After plucking two amino-dextro beers from the fridge, she sat beside Garrus and handed him one. In a single swift movement, he popped the cap off the side of the table and took a deep swig. He put the beer down on the table and noticed that Tali was looking at him in surprise.

    "How did you do that?" She asked.

    "Just a neat trick that Shepard showed me one night that we were out drinking about three weeks ago. I had brought over a case of beer but he hadn't a single bottle opener in that whole apartment on the Citadel. Just as I was about to put it away, he picked one up and popped the top off the table. Let's just say I was a quick learner and a quicker drinker. We both woke up the next morning on the presidium.. Two Krogan asked us if we found any fish up there.." Garrus said, chuckling. Tali laughed as well before realising something.

     "Can we actually call him 'Shepard' now? It isn't really his surname anymore. Shouldn't we call him William or something?"

   Garrus patted her on the shoulder before taking her beer off her and popping the top off that one aswell.

    "He's still 'Shepard' to me. He is my brother in arms, the closest friend a turian can have outside of a bond mate. I'd happily fight beside him any day." Garrus said before sitting back into the awkward silence.

   "So what do you think they're doing inside?" Tali asked.

   "I really don't want to think about it. I respect their privacy and after this long, they both deserve to let off some steam... albeit we both have different methods of doing so." Garrus said, taking another swig of his beer. Tali did the same, just taking smaller sips.

    They continued to make idle chatter and small talk and they eventually began to relax a small bit. Garrus wasn't sitting up as straight and Tali had moved to a soft armchair by the window. The view was perfect. A direct shot of the Eiffel Tower from almost any angle. Garrus, after about an hour checked the feed once again, and both William and Miranda were still going strong. He muted the feed again. Having long ago finished their beers, they were both now strictly on coffee because a jittery bodyguard is better then one that can't stand straight. Garrus did a quick sweep by the window and turned around to find Tali making, what had to have been her sixth or seventh cup of coffee.

     "You know that stuff will kill you if you keep drinking it like that.. but sure while you're there, make me a fresh cup will you.." Garrus said.

     "...not as much as being around you is slowly killing me.." Tali muttered under her breath.

    "Did you say something?" Garrus asked.

     "Oh! Just.. ah.. Did you want.. any... thing else?!" Tali frantically said.

     "No... Except you here in my arms.." Garrus said, muttering the last part under his breath.

    After Tali had returned from the kitchen, the small talk started again as they nursed their cups between their hands. Usually Garrus welcomed the silence, him being a sniper and everything, but now it felt restrictive, now that he was so close to his Girlfriend. Slapping himself on the knee as a sort of self encouragement, he turned to Tali.

     "I don't know about you Tali, but we really need to go out sometime. Either you've been busy on Rannoch or I on Palaven. I think, if you'd be willing, would you like to go out sometime? For a date? I heard from Shepard that there are a lot of beautiful places here. He called it 'the city of love'.. So what do you say? Would you like to give it a go?" Garrus asked.

     Tali sat motionless for a second before slowly nodding her head up and down. Garrus smiled and wrapped his arms around Tali's waist before lifting her into the air and spun her around.

    "You will not regret it Tali..." Garrus said, putting her back down .

    Suddenly there was a knock on the door and both of them. Garrus grabbed his wraith pistol, a recent gift from his spiritual sister in law, and stood at the side of the doorway. Tali grabbed her Reeger and stood opposite him. The knock came again and Garrus quickly looked to Tali who gave a curt nod to signify that she was ready. He quickly pulled the door open and they pulled their weapons on their guests. Who it was, was none other then William and Miranda both with delighted looks on their face. William was wearing a light shirt and shorts while Miranda had opted for a white blouse and black skirt. Garrus quickly holstered his pistol again and Tali placed her shotgun on the ground beside her, resting it on a locker.

     "Geez Shepard, you could have let us know.." Garrus sarcastically said.

   "But we did. We said it about three times as we were getting dressed, you should have heard it over the feed." Shepard said. Then he realised that Tali seemed nervous and was frequently looking in Garrus' direction. His plan had worked, he had hoped. After chatting with Garrus, William walked back over to Miranda and linked arms with her.

     "So? Do you to want to join us on a little sight seeing???" Miranda beamed.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

"So.. where are we going?" Garrus asked.

    "Oh there's so many places here in Paris that I've wanted to go to but I've never managed to. Well, I did but it was for work purposes only, so I never got to enjoy myself." Miranda said. William looked over at her and was surprised at how much joy Miranda had in her eyes. It was only when Miranda pulled a compact mirror from her purse that William realised he was staring for too long.

    "I don't have anything on my face, do I?" Miranda said, examining herself.

    "What?.. no! I was just lost in your eyes.." William said. Miranda blushed and Garrus face palmed himself.

    "I'm sorry Shepard, but that was just horrible.." Garrus laughed and was soon followed by Tali and eventually Miranda. Once Miranda started laughing, William feigned being insulted.

    "Anyway.. I've never been to Paris so I'm relying on Miri to be my guide to French culture. We're here for the next three weeks, we should be able to squeeze the whole Paris city experience into that time frame. Where do people want to go first?" William asked.

      "I think that a small bit of retail therapy might be a nice way to start the week off. We could go down along the Champ-Elysse, do a bit of shopping and then finish in the park just off the 'Pont Alexandre III'. How does that sound?" Miranda suggested.

    "That sounds perfect but before I go anywhere, I need a good cup of coffee. Would you all like to join me or will I meet you all at the park?" William said, pointing in the direction of a small cafe.

     "William?! Our first trip as a married couple and you already want to leave me?! I thought you loved me more then that!" Miranda exclaimed. She then proceeds to cross her arms and turn her back to him. William slumps his shoulders in defeat.

    "Alright! New plan! While I treat myself AND Miranda to a cup of coffee before I join her for a shopping trip, does anyone want to join us or will we meet you both at the park?" William said, as he kissed Miranda on the cheek. Miranda turned around instantly and reciprocated the romantic gesture.

      "Get me a large cappuccino please." Miranda said with a smile. 

    "We'll join you two on the shopping trip, but we're ok on the coffee part. Thanks Shepard." Tali said.

    As William walked off to get the coffee, Miranda shouted behind him.

    "Love you!"

   "Yeah right! You just love me for my body and my generosity!" William shouted back. Miranda and Tali started to laugh while Garrus ran after William to help him grab the coffees. While the boy's were gone getting the drinks, Miranda and Tali sat down outside the cafe and stared out at the city. A minute or two of silence passed before Tali broke it.

    "So.. What's it like being married?" Tali asked.

   "Oh.. I never thought I'd say this, but it's a dream come true. Now William and I have been together for a while, so the whole 'sleeping together' isn't any different and the sex is amazing but just being able to say that I've found someone who loves me for me is just.. incredible. I knew that I loved William before we even touched the Omega relay but just being together now, as soulmates, is honestly the best feeling I've ever had. Why do you want to know though? Is there a chance of a Zorah-Vakarian wedding on the calendar? I promise I won't tell William until you do." Miranda said, arching an eyebrow and leaning closer.

    "Well.. I don't know! Nothing yet.. haven't even broached the subject with Garrus! But really, I don't know how he feels about the whole thing.. does he even want to get married?.. there'd be a clash of cultures.. maybe his family wouldn't like it and I know how important Garrus's family is to him.. and.. and.." Tali rambled. Miranda giggled quietly before addressing Tali.

   "Well.. the only way to know how he feels about it is to ask the guy. If you want to contact his family first then do. Don't just sit here worrying about every little detail and just go and do something about it!" Miranda said. Tali seemed to ease a little before sitting back in her chair.

   "Thanks." Tali said.

   "No problem Tali. We're friends right! And what are friends for?" Miranda said. "Now I wonder what's keeping William and Garrus?"

 

  **< Meanwhile in the coffee shop>**

 

After William handed the Hanar barista some credits to pay for his drinks, Garrus pulled William to one side. Garrus seemed slightly nervous which was rare for him, so William was concerned.

    "Is there something up Garrus?" William asked.

   "Oh yeah.. fine! I was just wondering something... I know it's still early days but how is life being married to Miranda?... Just wondering!" Garrus asked.

   "My life with Miri?.. Where to begin? It is a dream come true! I know the word gets thrown around easily enough but I can say with certainty that she is my soulmate. I'd do anything.. go anywhere if it meant that I could keep her safe or stay by her side. She is beautiful, funny, smart.. as you know, she even brought me back to life! And for that I am eternally grateful. You heard my vows and I stand by them. Then, we were living together and sleeping together before the wedding so that's nothing new.. the sex is amazing and I really don't know what I did to deserve someone as perfect as her. Why do you want to know though? Wait.. are you planning to propose to Tali?! I swear I won't say a thing!" William said, grinning.

    "Yeah.. I am but I don't know! There are so many unknowns! I don't know how she feels about it because we've never discussed it. Then there's her aunt Raan. I've mentioned it to my dad and I was surprised with how supportive he was of the idea, but Raan is a whole other matter. She'd protect Tali before the fleet so I'll have to prove to her just how much Tali means to me. I would never try to cause a rift between Tali and Raan so that's why I have to make sure that Raan is on board.. but after that there is a clash of cultures and whether or not we'd have a Turian or Quarian style wedding and.." Garrus rambled. William laughed as he picked up the two coffee's off the countertop.

    "I swear Garrus.. you weren't this nervous when three mercenary groups banded together to kill you. I think the only thing you can do is talk to Raan and then to Tali. If both are onboard with the idea then I call best man. If not, well then it's better to know then to run around worrying all the time. Now here.. take this cappuccino out to Miranda so that it looks like you can in for the reason you said. Just breath, relax and let me know how you get on." William said, handing Garrus a coffee cup.

    "Thanks Shepard." Garrus said.

   "No problem Garrus, sure what are brother's for?" William said, opening the cafe door.

      After the coffee, Miranda had started pulling William down along the Champ-Elysse. After a few minutes, Garrus and Tali left William and Miranda on their own, telling them they'd find them later. Now that they were alone, Miranda thought the setting couldn't have been more romantic. After an hour or two of shopping, William had decided to stop in a park for a break. The June sun shone high in the sky, so William had also decided to buy some ice cream as an effort to cool down and Miranda agreed wholeheartedly. They found a beautiful fountain that had a table alongside it. While avoiding the Krogan children playing in the water, they began to chat. Garrus and Tali appeared soon after with Garrus and Tali carrying various sized shopping bags under their arms. Miranda and William were so engrossed in each other that they never realised that Garrus and Tali had returned until Garrus slammed his fist on the table, startling both William and Miranda.

    "So?.. how'd the shopping go for you guys? Trying to find anything Turian has been surprisingly difficult around here." Garrus said, leaning back in his chair.

    "And don't get me started on additional materials for bio-suits. Any I could find were nothing short of robbery!" Tali said, throwing her arms up.

      "Well it sounds like we had a lot more fun than you guys, but I bought myself a new tuxedo that was on sale.. and I lost track of what Miri bought after I was handed the tenth shopping bag.." William said chuckling. Miranda gave him a light punch on the arm.

    "I bought some beautiful pieces, especially this long, sapphire blue, silk dress in a boutique that I forgot the name of. I hope you two have some nice clothes with you because William just told me that he has bought tickets for a ballet at the Palais Garnier tonight. I love ballet but usually any show I've seen has been while I've been on a job so the novelty of it all was short lived. I can't wait!" Miranda said before kissing William on the cheek.

    "Definitely getting ballet tickets again if this is how I get repaid. But yeah, I got the four tickets if you two want to join us but it's no money out of my pocket if you don't. It's getting old now but the theatre manager seemed pretty excited to have the 'saviour of the galaxy' at the ballet tonight so she gave me the tickets free of charge. Told me that I saved her bond mate on Thessia supposedly." William said, going back to enjoying his ice cream.

   "You do know that you're going to have to hear that title probably until the day you die, right? Anyway you should wear it with pride! Especially how everyone was close to calling you crazy until they found hell right outside their window. They were very fast listening to you after that." Garrus said. "Hey Tali, would you like anything over off that cart?"

   "Oh no.. well?.. yeah, grab me anything sterile and cold. This suit is air conditioned and I'm even feeling the heat in here. Thanks." Tali said, squeezing Garrus' hand. William noticed that Garrus seemed to have blunted his talons, probably in fear of Tali's suit getting punctured. Miranda noticed how Tali's shoulders seemed to slump as Garrus walked off to the cart, so she decided to get rid of William for a minute. Miranda squeezed William's upper arm.

   "Yeah Miri?" William asked.

    "Would you mind getting me another scoop of strawberry ice cream please?" Miranda asked.

   "Sure.." William replied. After William had left, Miranda turned her attention to Tali who had been staring at a duck floating nearby. The two Krogan children had abandoned their messing and started chasing the duck. They started laughing with glee.

     "What's up Tali? You seem a little down in the dumps. Sorry if it seems like I'm intruding in your business but.. I don't know." Miranda asked.

     "It's fine really, just that when I look at the people around me, kissing, hugging, or just being affectionate with each other, they don't realise how lucky they are. It is a problem that we as a people can try and research, but our immunity systems... they're so weak! I admit, I'm jealous of you when you can just kiss Shepard when you feel like it. I've known Garrus for years and even though we are dating now, I've yet to know how his face feels under my fingers. I've even got to kiss the inside of my helmet when we're trying to make out because I could die if I open my mask for more then thirty seconds! I'm sorry for burdening you and Shepard while you two are on your honeymoon and such but it's just so frustrating!" Tali exclaimed. Miranda remembered William talking to her on time about this. He had a long conversation with Tali about it one time aboard the Normandy but still, Miranda never knew that it bothered her so much. Sure, it would drive Miranda crazy if she was in Tali’s situation, but she thought that as a Quarian, Tali would have been used to it.

   "I never realised that. I feel bad for you Tali. I actually don't have anything to say.. I know that nothing I say will help this situation but I swear that if I can help you, all you have to do is ask me. Now, how about we ditch the boys and go and buy you some nice clothes for tonight?" Miranda said. Tali looked at Miranda for a minute and realised that she was being genuine in what she was saying. While it was no consolation as Miranda had already said, the fact was, she was trying.

    "Thank you Miranda... I'll hold you to that promise. But what about what you said earlier to Shepard? About you two splitting up??" Tali said.

    "Oh that? I just love teasing William. I love him and he knows it. He loves me and I know it, but when you can tease him.. it's an opportunity that no one should give up." Miranda said, laughing.

   "Oh.. that is just evil..” Tali said, laughing into her hand.

     “Sure we have to be.. sometimes..” Miranda laughed.

Soon after, both Garrus and William returned and wondered what had been so funny.

    “Oh, Miranda just told me a joke.” Tali said.

   “What one was it?” William asked.

    “You wouldn’t like it, I’d say.. Actually William, Tali and I are going to go and get something nice for her to wear tonight, so if you and Garrus want to do something together or we can meet you two back at the hotel? By the way, don’t worry.. I know you still love me.” Miranda said with a wink.

    “I suppose we could head back.. You can get onto me if you need anything, but I might go and get some work done so it doesn’t all pile up when we get back. Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you two?

    “Yeah, it’s fine. No need to worry, we’ll be back before you know it.” Miranda said, slinging her handbag up on her shoulder. She suddenly found the bag to be much heavier then it should have been, and when she looked down, one of the krogan children was grasping onto it for dear life. Laughing hard, William watched as Miranda lifted the small child and carried it over to it’s mother. The situation only got better when the child wouldn’t leave go of Miranda’s bag. It took some coercion on Miranda’s part, but she soon returned with a smile on her own face. William had to take a breath for a minute before he leaned close.

     “Alright then. I love you.” William said as he gave her a kiss. Waving goodbye, William and Garrus headed back to the hotel but along the way, William spotted something sitting on a jewelry store’s window display. It was a modest necklace with a single black diamond sitting in the middle. A silver chain completed it and William decided to get it, as a surprise for tonight. He paid the aging Drell jeweler and slipped the box into his pocket. On his way out, William spotted Garrus looking at a set of bracelets in a cabinet.

    “Are you feeling like buying something nice for Tali?” William asked, staring at the bracelets himself.

    “Yeah, I’m thinking about that one there. The one with the ruby heart.” Garrus said, but he still seemed skeptical. William walked over to the counter and asked the jeweler to take the bracelet out of the cabinet. After paying for the bracelet, William gave Garrus the box and they left the small shop.

    “Why did you do that? I could have paid for it, you know...” Garrus said, pocketing the box.

    “Well, I thought that I should probably start paying back those debts I owe you and plus, I’m sure that Tali will love the bracelet. Anyway, you were overthinking things and it’s always the thought that counts.” William said. After a minute of silence, Garrus threw his arm up on William’s shoulder.

    “Thanks, Shepard!” 

 “No problem. Now come on, I have work to get done.” William said.

The guys quickly returned to their rooms after deciding that everyone will meet at the lobby at 8.30, sharp. William, once he reached his room, hid the spontaneous gift, took a bath and relaxed in bed as he filled out, or read the various reports that needed his attention. William only realized that he had fallen asleep when he felt Miranda lie down beside him and kiss his nose.

    “What?..” William asked, groggily. Miranda laughed.

    “You fell asleep doing your work. From the looks of things, you got about halfway through the restoration report of Zhu’s hope before the paperwork got too much for you. Now, it’s 7.30 and I’ve just drawn a bath...” Miranda said, slowly.

   William suddenly sobered up when he felt Miranda’s hand travel along his inner thigh.

   “Now you can stay here and keep looking at these reports...or you may join your wife in the bathtub. I can tell you though, I’m a lot more...interesting.” Miranda said, squeezing her hand. While Miranda and William had slept together quite a few times, when she wanted to, Miranda knew exactly which buttons to press, in order to get William to melt in her hands. Her fingertips could incite lightning under his skin and his heart would start racing. 

    Miranda stood up from the bed while keeping her eyes locked with William. Miranda smirked as she slowly walked backwards, still refusing to break eye contact. William stared with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. With every step that Miranda took, she’d open a button on her blouse and when she was about half-way between their bed and the bathroom, she allowed the light shirt to fall, letting it pool at her feet. Thankfully, William had now gained some control over his motor functions, so he closed his mouth and started walking in the direction of the bathroom, a mischievous grin spread across his face. Miranda slowed down and by the time she reached the door frame of the bathroom, William had quickly closed the gap between them. They were now so close that Miranda could feel each breath brush off her cheek. William slowly snaked his arms around Miranda’s waist and she wrapped her own arms around his neck. Without a word needing to have been said, they leaned in together and kissed. It was a slow, blissful kiss and after a while it broke, and they just held each other.

    “I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll say it again. You are my everything. I love you Miri.” William said, finally breaking the silence.

    “I’m just happy that those stupid hormones had decided to kick in when they did. I love you too.” Miranda said, chuckling. Slowly, Miranda let her hands rest on the neck of William’s bathrobe. “But this needs to come off and you and me have to get in the bath..” Miranda said lustily, slipping into the bathroom. William quickly took his robe off and joined Miranda in the bath.

    About half an hour later, once they finished in the bath, William was putting on his suit while Miranda was slipping into her new dress. Every now and then however, William would look at Miranda and get distracted with how good she looked in the dress. It was when Miranda would look back over her shoulder at him, that he’d realize that he still wasn’t dressed. Finally, William got dressed and Miranda was just putting the final touches on her outfit when William remembered the gift he had gotten earlier that day. William practically ran out of the room, which caught Miranda’s attention.

    “Will? Is everything alright?” Miranda shouted from the bedroom.

   “Everything’s fine, I just remembered something. Be back in a second..” William replied as he grabbed the box from the locker beside the door. Going back to their bedroom, William watched Miranda put on a pair of earrings. Slipping in behind her, Miranda jumped slightly when William’s head suddenly appeared over her shoulder.

    “Close your eyes.. please..” William whispered in Miranda’s ear. Miranda did as she was asked but not before a smirk spread across her face. William placed the box down on the vanity beside them and opened it. He pulled out the dainty looking chain and quickly tied it around Miranda’s elegant neck. William put his hands around Miranda’s waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Slowly, Miranda opened her eyes and gasped as she stared at the dazzling silver chain around her neck.

    “Where... did you get this? It’s divine..” Miranda asked. William just smiled before kissing Miranda on the ear.

   “On our way back to the hotel, Garrus and I found a small jewelry shop. I spotted it and I knew that it would look much nicer on you then it did on the jewelers window... Garrus even got something for Tali there, so it must have been fate or something. Now, Mrs Shepard-Lawson, are you ready for the ballet?” William asked.

   “I am, but you’re not..” Miranda said, as she turned around. William had never tied his bow tie, but he watched in amazement as Miranda’s deft hands tied a perfect knot in a matter of seconds. After kissing each other once again, William handed Miranda her purse, and held his arm out for her to grab on to. They walked to the door and William pulled it open just as Garrus and Tali were about to knock. Both couples stood there for a few seconds before laughing to ease the weird tension. Both Garrus and Tali had gotten dressed up. Garrus was in a set of very formal looking robes and the same could be said for Tali. William spotted the bracelet on Tali’s wrist and he saw Garrus smirking slightly. Tali obviously enjoyed her gift.

   They walked together down the hall and while waiting for the elevator, Tali spotted Miranda’s necklace. Both Miranda and Tali started chatting about their gifts. Outside the hotel, there was a sky car sitting on the launch pad. It looked vintage. William had an excited smile on his face and everyone else was confused. As William walked closer to the car, Miranda leaned onto her hip and crossed her arms.

   “William Shepard Lawson, have you something to tell me?” Miranda said, arching an eyebrow. Turning around, William was shrugging his shoulders.

   “I don’t know what you’re talking about...” William said, looking innocent.

  It had turned into a stare down, but not surprisingly, Miranda won.

     “I may or may not have bought the car.. It was going to be a surprise!” William said, defending the purchase. Miranda didn’t look convinced. “Oh come on! Look at it! My dad had one of these when he was a kid! It’s a vintage!”

  Miranda stared at the car. She knew that William had a love for vintage sky cars and it did look nice.. A lot nicer then the production line stuff you get nowadays.

    “I don’t mind that you bought the thing.. you’re entitled to buy yourself things, it’s just that I wish you told me first. How much did it cost?” Miranda said, inspecting the car.

     “It would have spoiled the surprise if I told you about it.. but it didn’t cost much. Only about five million credits...” William said. Miranda turned around on her heels at stared at her husband shocked.

    Avoiding her killer gaze, William swerved around Miranda and opened the sky car. The seats were leather and the interior looked nice. Tali and Garrus sat in the back, while Miranda took her own seat beside William. As William started the engine, he could feel Miranda’s eyes burning a hole in the side of his head. The car started to lift and Miranda was temporarily distracted by the city below them. William quickly swung over and kissed her on the cheek, whispering “I’m sorry”. Just as Miranda turned around though, William had that excited grin on his face again and hit the accelerator. The car’s eezo core gave a loud growl and the car took off into the city.

   Miranda looked over at William. He was grinning from ear to ear. Miranda could count on one hand, the amount of times that William looked this happy. Looking back to their passengers though, Miranda got worried. Both Garrus and Tali were using their arms as braces to stabilize themselves, rather then cuddling together like she expected. Garrus noticed Miranda’s worried look and said “Mako” before he and Tali started laughing.

    “I was great at driving the Mako Vakarian!” William shouted over his shoulder.

   “I’m pretty sure I still have some remainder of a concussion from the time you rolled the damn thing down a mountain, Shepard!” Garrus replied, again before resorting to laughter.

    “You used to drive the Hammerhead the exact same way. You used to get this crazy look in your eyes. I kept thinking that some day, I’d have to incapacitate you, just so you wouldn’t kill us.” Miranda added, joining in on the laughter.

   “Geez Miri? You too? Why has everyone I ever loved turned against me!” William said, throwing his hands in the air.

  “Woah! Hands back on the wheel!” Miranda shouted, but William started to cry into his cupped hands. Miranda leaned over and took the controls, but at the angle she was, she couldn’t really see what was in front of them.

    “Fine! You’re a good driver! No-“ Miranda said. Suddenly, William kissed her on the forehead and took the controls again. “Thank you” came the reply.

   Surprisingly, it took Miranda a minute or two to realize that William just used her own technique against her. Her eyes narrowed but she had to admit that William did well.

    “Next t-time, could you two please not mess when our LIVES could be IN DANGER!!” Tali said, trying to emphasize her points.

   William just started to laugh and that led to Miranda joining him. After a short while, Miranda leaned over and rested her head on William’s shoulder.       Both Garrus and Tali knew Miranda quite well and they knew that while she wasn’t a fan of PDA, it was these quiet moments, with friends or family that she really loosened up. After a few seconds, Garrus felt Tali, rest her own head on his shoulder, to which he replied with a kiss on the top of her helmet, or at least as close to a kiss as a Turian can do. The passing neon lights illuminated the inside of the car as it sped along the streets of Paris until finally it arrived at the Palais Garnier. After parking the car, William turned around with a smug look on his face.

    “Now, is everyone ok? No one dead?” William asked. He was met with silence. “Then stop complaining about how I drive!” William tried to look serious but when a smile started breaking across his face, he eased up. William got out of the car and then held his hand out to help Miranda. She took his hand and as she stood out, William kissed her knuckles. They linked arms with one another and walked towards the door. They stood in line, waiting to get in when nearly everyone in front started looking directly at William. While William wasn’t very good with foreign languages, Miranda was fluent in quite a lot of them, French included. She could easily pick up that people were talking about them and Garrus and Tali, who were standing behind them, holding hands. William leaned in close, whispering. “They’re talking about us, aren’t they?”

   “Would you expect any less? You seem to be the center of attention no matter where you go.” Miranda replied. William responded with a gentle kiss on the cheek, which only seemed to fuel the chattering masses. Miranda gave William’s arm a gentle squeeze, which he knew meant that she appreciated the gesture but he also knew that Miranda didn’t like the public affection. William gave Miranda’s hand a squeeze as an act of apology. One thing that both William and Miranda had gotten good with is their ways of talking to one another using gestures and squeezes. It was a system they made up between them when they knew they’d be in the public eye quite a bit and wanted a way to keep their conversations strictly between them. The kiss broke and Miranda continued looking around. She could feel a pair of eyes on her and in her experience, that was never a good sign. Looking down however, she saw an Asari child, holding her mother’s hand while she stared straight at her. A smile broke out across her face before her mother asked her to turn around. It was definitely a topic that she had to bring up with William, but Miranda seriously wanted a child someday.

    The news that William had arrived must have reached the top of the line because both William and Miranda could see the theatre manager frantically trying to make her way to them. Once she reached them, she tried grabbing William’s forearm and pull him up to the top of the queue. William shrugged her off.

   “I’m sorry but I’m fine waiting to reach the top of the queue. I’m just here with my family tonight and I don’t want to make a big spectacle out of things.” William tried to stress to the French-speaking, lilac, Asari but was met with confusion. Miranda then stepped in and relayed the message again, just in French. William could see that as the manager and Miranda were talking, that nearly every pair of eyes around were trained on them. He could see a few people lifting camera’s or their Omni-tools, and William nearly asked Tali to try and sabotage them, but he knew that it would be a futile effort. Finally, Miranda stopped talking in French and told William that the manager was not dropping the priority entry, so he relented and followed the Asari inside, followed by Garrus and Tali. Soon they found themselves being ushered into a VIP room, that led to a balcony over looking the theatre. Inside their was another Asari with a small child beside her. The manager walked in and kissed the Asari before she scooped the child into her arms. The other Asari turned around and grinned as she saw William. Walking up to him, she gave him a salute before she shook his hand.

    “Captain Narasmi, at your service. It’s an honor Admiral. If you didn’t show up on Thessia when you did, I’d have never gotten back to my family. When Lee told me that you were going to be here tonight I said that I had to thank you in person.” The Asari said. She then turned her attention to Miranda.

   “It’s great that you even managed to get home to your family as well, Admiral... It’s what kept me fighting, and what’ll always keep me fighting. Now I hope you four enjoy the night. These are the best seats in the house and I hear this show is magical.” Soon, the three Asari left. 

    That was nice of them.” Miranda said.. She walked over to one of the chairs on the balcony. They looked luxurious and Miranda left her handbag down on one. When she returned, William was sitting on a couch, holding a glass of wine. Miranda sat down beside him and they wrapped an arm around each other. Miranda looked at William, and was shocked when she saw that the usual fire wasn’t there. He seemed conflicted

    “Will? What’s wrong? You seem a bit upset..” Miranda said, sitting up and turning towards him.

    “I don’t know.. It did annoy me when the manager just tried to yank me out of the queue, or when she started making a scene out of it. Then everyone was staring and I’m pretty sure that we’ll probably be on the front of the Parisian papers tomorrow... but meeting that captain... that was nice. I’m happy that I could help her get back and she was right about fighting for family.. Believe me Miri, I wouldn’t change this life for anything, I just wish that I could act normal in public and not be the center of attention all the time. I’m a soldier, there are others much more suited to be in the cameras and tabloids.” William said, staring into his drink.

      “Like it or not Shepard, but you saved the entire galaxy from being destroyed. People are going to swoon over you and give you discounts and probably even ask you to kiss their offspring, but don’t worry because you’ll always have us.. especially Miranda.” Garrus said, winking. Tali gave a nod and Miranda leaned over and gave William a hug.

    “Thanks.. I mean that! I do feel a little selfish though. There are still people who are thrown from the war and here I am, complaining that people nearly fall at my feet. It’s silly..” William said, reciprocating the embrace. Tali and Garrus went over towards the small stocked bar, leaving William and Miranda on their own. After a short while, Miranda leaned back on the couch.

    “Feeling any better?” She asked, still looking concerned.

   “Much better.. Thank you..” William said. Miranda gave another quick nod and stood up, heading for the balcony.

    “They weren’t joking when they said that these were the best seats in the house. The view is perfect.” Miranda said. While she stared out, William had walked up and stood behind her.

   “The view is much better from where I’m standing.” William said as he quickly scooped Miranda into his arms and carried her around the room. Miranda slapped him on the arm and told him to put her down but he refused. Any objection and William tried to hush Miranda by kissing her in a small ticklish area she had on her neck, near her collarbone. Much to Garrus’ and Tali’s surprise, this reduced Miranda into a fit of giggles, which only seemed to feed William’s desire to continue his antics. As soon as Miranda heard people entering below them however, she placed a hand on William’s shoulder and after finding a particular nerve cluster, she squeezed. William hit the floor and Miranda grabbed a nearby countertop to stop herself from falling after him. Garrus and Tali had taken their seats but after hearing something hit the floor, they came back in to find Miranda standing over an unconscious William. Tali went to get closer and check, but Miranda stopped her. After fixing her outfit, Miranda crouched down and gave William a hard slap on the face. William woke up and rubbed the back of his head.

    “Damn Miranda.. you could have just asked me to put you down..” William said as he took her outstretched hand and stood up.

    “I did and you wouldn’t stop. I merely did what I had to.” Miranda said, smirking.

   “How did you do that though? I’ve seen Shepard go head-to-head with Krogan and they’ve never knocked him out as fast as you did.” Tali asked, slightly terrified.

    “Remember? I know William better then he knows himself. I’ve seen more of him than his mother has, both inside and out. I archived that spot as a pressure point that I could exploit, if he was ever rowdy back when we were with Cerberus. This is just a sign that it was a smart idea to do so.” Miranda stated. “And you! I forgive you but do that again and I will hurt you in ways you couldn’t even dream of..” She pointed at William.

    “Yes ma’am! Now would you care to join me to the balcony? I’m pretty sure the shows about to begin.” William said, taking Miranda’s gloved hand.

    The lights dimmed and the show started. William and Miranda held hands and Tali was resting her head on Garrus’ shoulders. Miranda was glued to the ballet dancers and began to hum the music that accompanied the dance. The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake were the only ones that William could remember from watching the vids with Miri, but really he was just happy that she was happy. He loved spending time with her and he loved her. Between the beautiful music and the serenity of the ballet, time flew and soon the show was over. A chorus and standing ovation followed as soon as the curtains closed. As Miranda sat back down beside him, William stretched. He could hear his back give a light pop.

   “Did you fall asleep?” Miranda asked in surprise.

   “I don’t know.. I could have but I really haven’t felt this relaxed in such a long time..” William said, yawning. Miranda had a look at the time.

    “Jesus.. it’s midnight! Come on, let’s get back to the hotel.” Miranda said, grabbing her bag. William slowly rose and rubbed his eyes using his palms. Garrus yawned and Tali seemed to have fallen asleep clutching his arm, so in a swift move, Garrus had Tali swept up into his arms and was carrying her out to William’s car. They reached the car and after unlocking it, William went to sit in the drivers seat, as Garrus lay Tali over himself in the back seat. Miranda however, grabbed William by the collar and gestured for him to sit beside her in the passenger seat.

   “You are NOT driving when you’re barely awake. I’ll drive.” Miranda stated, her tone final on the subject. William mumbled something that sounded like a counter but came out incoherent. William slid over into the passenger seat, and rested on the chair’s headrest. Miranda sat into the drivers seat and shut the door. The car gave a gentle growl as it powered up and soon they were on their way back to the hotel. Since at least two of the car’s occupants were exhausted, the journey was in silence. After a short time, Miranda heard a light thud, followed by snoring. Looking at William, Miranda noticed that he had fallen asleep against the glass. Miranda laughed but kept her eyes on the sky-way ahead of her.

    “That was quite nice..” Garrus whispered from the back seat.

   “I’ve loved it for as long as I can remember. My father thought that it was stupid so I suppose I’ve been rebelling against him for longer than I thought. I had to keep it as a secret passion. No reason to hide that anymore..” Miranda whispered. No reply came. Looking back, Miranda saw that Garrus had also fallen asleep. Miranda laughed quietly to herself and kept driving. The hotel came into view not long after but there was no way that she was lifting the three of them upstairs despite the use of her biotics. It would tire her out as well and there was no reason for putting herself through that stress. After she parked the car, Miranda woke Garrus, who then opted to carry Tali upstairs. William then turned out to be rather stubborn to wake up. He seemed unconscious nearly. She pushed him, shook him and even punched him. He was still asleep. Finally deciding to carry him, Miranda pulled him out of the car, lay him on the floor and locked the car.

    “I better get breakfast in bed for this..” Miranda thought to herself. Finally, her hand pulsed with energy and William slowly floated above her head. Miranda walked into the lobby and the receptionist stared at her in shock, when William floated in behind her. Miranda just gave the receptionist a nice smile and climbed into the lift. Once it reached their floor, Miranda opened the door to their suite and practically threw William onto the bed. Depositing her heels by the door, Miranda walked into the bathroom and changed out of her dress, opting to sleep in one of William’s t-shirts and shorts. Climbing into the bed, Miranda pulled the duvet up over herself and went to fall asleep. Suddenly Miranda sneezed and then Miranda found herself looking into William’s eyes. William stretched and threw his legs over the side of the bed. Leaning back to kiss Miranda, William pulled his tie open and discarded it on the floor. Shrugging his shoes off, William headed for the bathroom, only to return in his boxers. Sliding into the bed beside her, William wrapped his arm around Miranda’s waist and they spooned.

    “How did I get here? Last I remember, I fell asleep in the car..” William asked.

    “I carried you up.. using my biotics. I swear.. I nearly thought you were dead! For all that worry and stress, I demand breakfast-in-bed!” Miranda said without turning around to him.

   “Ha! Mom did always tell me I could be a heavy sleeper. Your wish is my command..” William said, giving Miri one last kiss before they fell asleep.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

The days past by, each one bringing new memories for William and Miranda to have together. It was very close to the end of their three-week honeymoon, so William and Miranda decided to spend it at the beach. It surprised Miranda just how much everyone could fit into William’s car, but they managed to bring everything. They were traveling to Deauville, and the weather was perfect.

      William was playing the Galaxy news over the radio, and Miranda was working on something on her Omni-tool.

      “As the restoration effort continues, the galaxy will soon be looking to Admiral William Shepard-Lawson, to re-establish order in the galaxy. A spokesman for the systems alliance has said. ‘The Admiral, is currently away traveling with his newly wed wife, Miranda and is due to return next week.” The radio buzzed.

    “I don’t know why I’m suddenly in the middle of everything now.. Barely believed me about Sovereign, Called me crazy when the Collectors were abducting people, even labeled me a terrorist over the Bahak Massacre. Begged me to fix everything when they were forced to endure the apocalypse firsthand.. And I still have shit to sort out.” William said, to no one in particular.

    “Sure, I was pushed out into the spotlight when the reapers attacked Palaven. The Turian high council thought that since I travelled with you.. I could just wipe them all out with a wave of my talons... Actually that reminds me, Primarch Victus, wants to talk to you. He messaged me this morning, asking for you. He said that there was no rush, just needed to discuss politics.” Garrus said, staring out the window.

     “Alright.. I can try and meet Monday, but I could be busy... Any idea how much farther we are from the beach?” William asked.

    “Just keep going and I’ll tell you when we get closer. We can’t be that much farther. You can be so inpatient sometimes..” Miranda sighed.

    “And you love me for it..” William replied, smugly.

     “No, I love you because you’re you, not for just one of your infuriating traits...” Miranda replied, just as smugly.

    They shared a quick kiss before William went back to driving and Miranda went back to her work. It always amused Tali,how it would seem that they were having an argument and then, all of a sudden William and Miranda would get all lovey-dovey. Time passed and finally they arrived at the beach. William pulled off his t-shirt and threw it into the back. While Tali and Garrus grabbed their stuff, Miranda stared at William. Despite the fact that the man had spent so much time down on a table, he was still in perfect condition, if not for a few additional scars. Miranda was pulled from her daydream when Tali tapped her on the shoulder. Tali giggled when she realized what was distracting Miranda.

    “What? There’s no shame in staring at your husband!” Miranda said, defending herself.

     “I know.. it’s just funny when you space out like that.” Tali replied, still laughing. Tali and Garrus headed off in the direction of the changing rooms while William was taking the rest of the stuff out. Miranda then grabbed her own bag. Looking at William, he had parasols, bags, and all sorts of other things tucked underneath his arms.

    “You can go and change. I’ll carry this stuff down and get somewhere nice for us. See you soon..” William said, winking at Miri. Miranda squeezed his arm slightly before walking off to the changing rooms after Tali and Garrus.

     Throwing the stuff down onto the sand, William was very happy with his spot. Plenty of sun and shade, the perfect combination. After putting up the loungers and parasols in the shade, he set up the blanket underneath the shade of some trees. Laying down on the blanket, William threw off his flip-flops and stretched out. After a short time, William heard a light cough and opened his eyes to see Garrus standing over him. William wasn’t sure what he was wearing but he knew that Garrus wasn’t going swimming. Supposedly Turians sink like stones.

     Sitting beside William on the blanket, Garrus accepted the beer that William handed him from the cooler.

    “Where are the girls?” William asked, drinking from the glass.

    “They said that they’d be here soon. It’s beautiful here... I’d say it’ll be an easy going day.” Garrus said, standing his beer in the sand.

    “Believe me. I’m gonna get as many of those days as I can before I report back in a few days. I’m gonna miss them..” William sighed.

    Lying down, William closed his eyes and relaxed. Listening to the waves crashing against the shore turned out to be very calming. Soon though, William heard a couple of whistles. Initially he ignored them, but when they continued, he cracked an eyelid to see what the cause was. Miranda and Tali were walking towards them, both looking perfect. William stared, slack jawed, at Miranda, wearing a pure white skirted bikini and she had a sun hat on as well. She had a beach ball under her arm. Miranda was rolling her eyes at the onlookers, but when she locked eyes with William, she stared straight at him until she sat on the lounger beside him. It was only when she was close, that William noticed she had a slight blush in her cheeks. When William finally broke from his trance, he noticed that Tali had opted for a set of long hooded, light vestments. William didn’t know where she could have changed bio-suits but she had obviously managed somehow.

    “Based on what I’m seeing.. I think I might need to get a bit protective..” William said. Miranda laughed.

   “Don’t worry about me, anyone who tries to hit on me could find themselves out to sea.” Miranda said.

    “What if I hit on you? What would happen to me?” William asked, smirking.

    “Well.. you’re the lucky exception then. How about we go swimming? The sea looks lovely.” Miranda suggested, holding her hand out.

     Smiling, William grabbed her hand and stood up.

    “That sounds great! I was thinking as well that we might go and have a walk together. Explore for a bit..” William suggested as they walked to the edge of the water. Miranda took off her hat and left it on the sand, alongside William’s flip-flops. William opted to do some stretching before hand, and Miranda copied him, teasingly. After a little while, Miranda pulled off an elegant dive into the water which left William speechless. It was quickly becoming clear to William that there was always a small element of elegance to most, if not everything, that Miranda does. Trudging into the water after her, William began to panic once he noticed that Miranda had yet to surface. Looking around, there still was no sign of her, so William started calling her.

    “Miri! Miri! Where are you!” William shouted. As he was distracted with trying to find her, William never noticed the shadow behind him. In a flash, Miranda had almost leapt out of the water and grabbed hold of William, dragging him underneath. After quickly resurfacing, William looked at Miranda in shock. To top it all off, he started coughing whilst Miranda laughed. Once he had recovered, William glared at Miranda with a challenging look, daring her to try again.

   “That was devious.. I’ll get you for that.” William stated. Miranda replied with a glare, trying to entice William to take the first move. Neither of them moved for a short time until Miranda quickly disappeared under the surface. Holding his breath, William dropped as well, opting to sit and listen. It didn’t help that there was a lot of ambient noise but he concentrated on what he could hear the loudest. That would probably be Miranda. It soon became a long wait, trying to see who would strike first and William had to resurface for air.

   Miranda watched William resurface every few minutes for more air. Every time he rose up, she would get closer and she’d surface when he sank. William would turn every time he sank so Miranda had to keep moving to stay behind him. After many minutes, Miranda was so close, she could see most of the scars on William’s back. Just as she was about to grab him, William resurfaced unexpectedly. Miranda sank quickly but William’s leg pulled her own from underneath her and she lost her footing. Before Miranda could recover, William had grabbed her by the shoulders  and they both resurfaced before William kissed her.

   “I told you I get you... I win.” William stated. “Now.. I don’t know about you but I’ve had enough of the water for a while. Wanna grab something at the bar?” 

    “Yeah, but don’t think that this is the end. We’re even now, but I’ll come out on top.” Miranda stated. Both her and William shared a laugh. After emerging from the water, William tossed a towel to Miranda. They dried themselves, but Miranda threw her hair over her shoulder so that it could dry in the heat. Packing up the towels, they headed for the bar. There was a small fry house on the beach and they stood in the queue.

    “Dammit! I left my wallet back with the guys. I’ll bring the towels back and if you get to the front of the queue, just order me a hot dog... be back soon!” William said, running off. Leaning on her hip, Miranda ran through the food options. Nothing seemed to excite her but she was hungry. After finally settling on a hot dog like William, she turned her attention back to the queue. A man was staring at her, jaw hanging open. Like all the others, Miranda simply replied with an eye roll and then turned her attention to almost anything else. As she stared out at the ocean, a figure loomed in her peripheral. Turning, she recognized him as the guy that was at the head of the queue. The stench of alcohol was painfully strong and he just stared at Miranda, hungrily.

       He attempted to talk to Miranda but since he could barely form words, let alone sentences, she paid him no mind. There was no way Miranda would leave the queue just because of a creep, despite how rotten he both looked and smelled. Sure, Miranda had seen all sorts of crazy shit over the years. After asking him to politely stick his head in the sand, Miranda looked behind her to see if William was on his way. No sign of him. Then, the drunk did the worst thing imaginable. He tried to shove his tongue in Miranda’s mouth while he also tried to grope her. It caught her off guard, she froze.

      Out of nowhere, Miranda had a fury burning within her. Grabbing his hand, she broke his fingers. As he clutched his broken hand, Miranda grabbed his head and slammed it off her knee. He hit the sand in an unconscious pile. The people around all stared in horror, and Miranda could see the police walking towards the hut.

    “Great…” Miranda sighed.

    After grabbing his wallet, William asked Garrus and Tali if they’d like anything. After they refused his offer, William headed for the hut. Looking back, William saw Tali sit in Garrus’ lap and they just stared out at the rippling waves. As he got closer to the hut, the crowd’s just seemed to get larger and denser, until William finally saw Miranda at the hut, talking to some police officers.

    “What the hell?!” William thought as he broke into a sprint. He quickly got close to Miranda when he was suddenly tackled to the ground by an officer. The officer knelled on William, keeping him grounded.

    “Get the hell off me! What the hell is going on!” William shouted, trying to get free. The officer that had him pinned to the floor, looked to the officer that was talking to Miranda. He gestured for the officer to allow William to stand. William looked to Miranda and could see a mix of things flashing in her eyes. Mainly Anger and worry.

    “Who are you?” The officer asked him in a heavy French accent. The question caught William off a bit because everyone seemed to know who he was, no matter where he went.

    “I’m Admiral William Shepard-Lawson. Now may I know why you seem to be interrogating my wife?!” William asked, obviously annoyed.

   The officer seemed to tense up. Pulling William and Miranda off into a small hut nearby, he started to talk.

    “My apologies Admiral, but your wife has hospitalized someone. We are simply doing our jobs.” The officer explained. William turned to Miranda.

    “Miri? Is that true? What happened?” He asked.

   “I was simply standing in line when this drunken loon came up and attempted to talk to me. I asked him to leave me be, but when he shoved his tongue in my mouth, I was caught off-guard. After he also tried to grope me, I showed him the error of his ways…” Miranda explained. Miranda noticed that a vein seemed to pop out of William’s neck as she continued. The fact act infuriated him, Miranda didn’t know why but it was comforting.

     “That bastard is lucky he was only knocked unconscious. If I was there, I would have done damage as well. It was self-defence. This questioning is stupid and a waste of time.” William spat.

     “While, yes, I agree, but the fact remains that the victim was hospitalized, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the beach. There’ll be no fine, or ban, it’s just that if anyone disrupts the peace, they have to go… I’m sorry.” The officer explained. William and Miranda stared at him in disbelief.

    “This is idiotic! Miranda didn’t do anything wrong! If anything, the ‘victim’ should be arrested for assaulting a stranger on a public beach. You can be damn sure that there’ll be no damn fine! Could you please leave for a minute…? Don’t worry, we’re not going to break out or anything.” William said, his anger finally starting to subside. The officer nodded, leaving them alone.

    When they were on their own, William ran up and embraced Miranda, holding her close. After a few seconds Miranda started to shake in his arms. She was crying and it broke William’s heart.

    “I’m sorry Will…, I over-reacted and now we’ve got to leave...” Miranda whispered. William just held her tighter to him and started to run his hand along her back.

    “Believe me Miri, I couldn’t care. Don’t ever blame yourself, it’s not your fault. Any time I spend with you, I’m happy. Even if it’s a prison cell. And another thing, that bastard got off easy. I’d have done a lot worse if I was with you. They’d probably still be finding the pieces...” William said. He was delighted when he heard Miranda chuckling. “How about we go up to the town? He only said that we’ve to leave the beach, not the town, what do you think?”

     “Yeah, that’d be nice. What do we do about Tali and Garrus? I’d hate to have them sent away as well.” Miranda said, breaking the embrace.

   “We’ll head back and grab our things. We can mention it to them if you want but we could just slip away at the same time. Leave them be and meet with them back at the car later?” William suggested. Miranda shook her head.

    “It’d be better to let them know. No shame in it anyway, I just knocked a creep out...” Miranda stated. After they joined hands, William and Miranda walked out of the hut, William nodding to the same officer signalling that they’d leave. He almost looked appreciative of the fact that they seemed to be so compliant. Must be rare enough on the beach.

    When Miranda and William got back to their earlier spot, Garrus and Tali had already started packing up. Tali seemed relieved when she saw them both.

    “We thought something had happened to you two! We were just about to go look for you..” Tali said. Garrus simply came up alongside William and looked at him, accusingly.

    “That is, unless you two were off... alone... not wanting to be disturbed? Could have snuck off somewhere for some ‘intimacy’...” Garrus said, emphasising his words. He was now smirking. William gave a hearty laugh while Tali slapped Garrus on the head using her bag. Tali then looked to Miranda, expecting a similar reaction but was shocked when she almost looked to be considering it. This only caused William to double over in laughter, and he was soon joined by Garrus.

     After explaining what had happened, Tali and Garrus agreed to leave with them. Like William expected, they were both angry but nowhere near as much as he was. Once everyone had changed, the gear was packed into the car and they went strolling along the coast, soon coming across a small fair on a pier. William walked up to the ticket booth, where there was a large sign.

   “Nihme’s revived classic carnival… sounds pretty good...” William said. Deciding to split up, both couples went around separately. There were all sorts of stuff available. There were food stands, strongmen contest’s and all the different carnival rides you could think of. Garrus won Tali a plush Elcor after he managed to get all nine rings on their targets. She stared at her prize, wondering why anyone would want to cuddle with an Elcor, but she loved her gift anyway. William and Miranda headed for the Tunnel of Love. Neither of them knew why the thing was there, but they decided to try it out. Both of them would have been lying if they said that they hadn’t any suggestive thoughts when they sat in the small boat, but since they’d only have a few seconds, they both decided against anything risqué and opted more for an intense make-out session in the dark. Next, William saw a massive rollercoaster and he couldn’t understand how he had missed it on the way in. Miranda agreed to going on it and they sat on. It was a set of high peaks and twists, going at tremendous speeds. William and Miranda sat beside one another and held hands as it slowly ascended to the first peak. Once it started zooming downwards, the endorphin and adrenaline rush kicked in and William started shouting and laughing, almost like a little kid. Miranda found it hilarious and started laughing. Once they reached the end, both of them were incredibly dizzy and unstable on their feet. The dizziness caused William to throw up his earlier meal which just caused Miranda to laugh again. William loved making Miranda laugh but then when Miranda brought her hands to her mouth to stifle her laughter from getting any louder, she lost her footing and fell backwards. This then caused William to start laughing and Miranda just continued. When they were able to stand again, William went to get their photo from the rollercoaster. Looking at the photo, William knew that he would have to frame it. Miranda’s hair had been blown across her face, almost making her look like cousin it, while William almost had a crazy look in his eyes as he was gripping the bar and laughing maniacally. Miranda went to burn the photo as soon as she had seen it but William stopped her. It was a beautiful memory after all. William was almost thankful that they were kicked off the beach, otherwise they mightn’t have been having such a good time.

    Some time passed. Miranda was leaning on William as they walked along the pier. The sun was low in the sky, showing just how late it had gotten. Deciding to sit down, William ordered them both coffee. William got thinking about the following week and how he might have to be away from Miri. He really didn’t like it.

    “We should really see with Hackett if we can get you posted back aboard the Normandy. She misses her XO, and I’ll miss you too. I suppose I could really have you posted myself but it would probably look better coming from someone else. The papers would have a field day..” William said, rubbing his forehead.

    “Yeah.. I’d like that. The Alliance really had a fun time, refitting her after you handed yourself in. I actually forgot about it all.” Miranda said, looking out at the sunset. Not long after, William saw Tali, who hurried over with Garrus in tow. Somehow, the conversation ended up becoming an argument between William and Garrus, over who the better shot was. Anyone passer by wouldn’t have thought that the two guys were almost as close as two people could be as the argument started to heat up. Tali and Miranda stayed out of it until Garrus accused Miranda of lying about her ability to shot a pistol at 500 yards with such accuracy. While William was fighting to defend his combat prowess, he knew that accusing Miri of anything was a very bad idea. That fire was burning in her eyes and William loved watching it dance. Sitting up straight, Miranda proposed an idea.

    “On the way here, we passed a combat simulator complex. We’ll play a three-match gauntlet. The first person out of each round is disqualified from the following round. We play for lethal shots only, and whoever wins the third match will be the best shot in our group. Put this damn rivalry to rest!”

   William and Garrus were definitely agreeing with the plan and Tali agreed on the idea that it would be a bit of fun. After finishing up, they all got back into the car and hit the road. The car journey was in complete silence but you could have cut the tension with a knife. They arrived after what felt like an hour, but had only been forty minutes. They paid their way in and then came into a lobby room of sorts, where they could get changed and pick their weapon of choice.

   The outfits were lightweight and skin-tight. It had been a while since William had seen Miranda in a catsuit, but she caught him staring at her, more than once, and vice versa. Miranda found it weird to see William in a skin-tight body suit, but she liked the view, so she said nothing. She hid her blush as she went over to the table covered in weaponry. Not surprisingly, Garrus went for a Viper rifle, William grabbed a Mattock, Miranda grabbed a Wraith pistol and Tali grabbed a Reegar. Before they split up, Garrus kissed Tail’s helmet while William kissed Miranda straight on the lips. When she went to reciprocate the kiss, William stopped her with a cocky grin, asking her ‘to keep it for when he won the tournament’. Miranda glared at him and he just smirked back. While she would be going for Garrus as a priority, Miranda would take this as an opportunity to knock William off his high pedestal. Everyone then shook hands and headed to their different starting points.

    As they stood in their zones, a voice read through the rules.

  “Lethal shots only. This means that all shots except what would be considered fatal do not count. You are not allowed to change weapon if you defeat a foe and any attempt to do so will be met with a penalty. You have a set amount of ammunition and everyone has been given a melee weapon, in the case of having no ammunition left. No biotics or hacking allowed due to a handicap put in place by the organizer. Enjoy.”

    Miranda smirked while she checked over her pistol. It was a heavy pistol so any shot taken would alert the others to where she was. She’d have to be careful but this was just a way to show off. She was lethal with almost anything, she didn’t always need to depend on her biotics. She watched the timer hit zero and the shutter rose. They found themselves in a forest biome. That was good because there were no open areas but it was a help to Garrus, as he could hide in the foliage. She’d have to be careful. Tightening her hold on the pistol, she took off into the dense forest.

    William looked over his Mattock as he lay hunched behind a tree. He had contemplated grabbing the Widow, but he was happy he didn’t. Sure, it would nearly tear threw the trees, but sniping in a forest was never easy. Keeping low, he slowed his breathing and listened.

    Garrus was happy. Very happy. Perched in a tree, scanning the ground with his rifle, he was in his comfort zone. This first match would be easy. Garrus saw William looking the Widow over and he would have grabbed it himself, but he always did rather the Viper. It was nowhere near as powerful, but it made up for it in a lighter weight and about a tenth of the recoil. A trained sniper could empty the magazine in quick succession on the same target in about thirty seconds. The Widow would probably knock him out of the tree. Looking through the scope, he awaited his first target.

    Tali was definitely experienced in gun play but where she just saw a pass time, the other’s seemed to be out for blood. She wouldn’t make it easy for any of them to knock her out, but she knew that the others were in it to win and have the bragging rights. Tali was happy that she grabbed the Reegar. Her own model had saved her more times that she’d like to confess. The shotgun gave out streams of electricity that always helped stun the enemy. While she did miss Chatika, Tali knew that she could win without her. Plus, her tracking software would have made this too easy. Cocking her shotgun, she took off.

     Tali and William were the first to go head-to-head. While William could deal a decent shot from a distance, Tali could deal a lot of damage up close and she was hiding behind cover. Every time he would try to look up over his own cover, streams of electricity were always a bit too close for comfort. William took the thermal clip out of his rifle and threw it down. Looking around to try and find something to give him an advantage, William laid eyes on a pine cone. He had a mischievous thought. Grabbing the pine cone, he lay it on top of the thermal clip until it finally caught fire. He grabbed his impromptu fire cracker and threw it. He knew that there’d be no shrapnel, but it would still give an almighty bang. Neither side shot anything and William simply waited for a few seconds. The bang went off and Tali jumped, only to be met with a blank to the helmet by William. Tali was out. Jumping over his own cover, William helped her up. Tali didn’t look happy but she complimented William on his idea. William apologized as the computer read out that Tali was disqualified and that she was to return to her starting point. William then ran off after the others.

     Miranda wasn’t stupid, she knew that Garrus would have had to go to high ground. Keeping low, she travelled through the underbrush keeping her eyes up. The arena wasn’t huge, Miranda knew that she’d come across him soon. The trees here were dense but spaced apart, it wouldn’t be easy for him to traverse so he would have picked one good place and be patiently waiting. It was then that she saw the glint of a rifle barrel. Taking aim, Miranda fired.

     Garrus was waiting for anyone to pass by. He began to wonder who had knocked Tali out of the match but he kept a keen eye on his surroundings. It was only the title players now, so things were serious. While William was stubborn enough to keep fighting for the title, Garrus knew that Miranda would be attacking from a distance to back up her self-professed skills. It was probably a bad move to involve Miranda in an contest between himself and Shepard but Garrus couldn’t help himself. A rifle at 500 yards was no problem but a pistol.. even he found that hard. Going back to scanning the ground, he heard a shot, and it was all over. 

     Miranda stood over him and Garrus wasn’t happy. He took her extended hand and stood up. It was an impressive shot to be sure but Garrus still didn’t like it when he was beaten. After shaking her hand, Garrus looked over Miranda’s shoulder and saw the muzzle of a rifle stick out. Smirking, he left go of Miranda’s hand. Miranda looked confused for a second before she caught on.. but it was too late. The shot rang out and met it’s target. William erupted from the bushes with his fist in the air. Garrus shuddered at the intensity of the glare that Miranda was sending William. He was just waiting for him to catch fire. To Garrus’ surprise however, Miranda smiled and shook William’s hand, complimenting him on the shot. The computer called for the contestants to return to their starting positions. After doing so, they found themselves back in the lobby and Tali sat reading something on her Omni-tool.

    William grabbed some water and went to give some to Miranda. Miranda accepted the bottle and William gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Over her shoulder, William could feel Garrus glaring at them both, obviously not happy about losing the match. Not long after, the voice called out again, asking for them to take their places.

    “Destroy them!”  Tali shouted at Garrus. Garrus smirked and continued to glare at them.

   “That was the plan..” Garry’s said, as he swapped the Viper rifle for the Javelin. He tested the weight and once he seemed happy, he shook William’s and Miranda’s hands, telling them not to be angry when he wins. William kept the Mattock but Miranda swapped her Wraith for a Tempest sub machine gun. Sharing one more kiss, they split up and took their places. The counter went down once again but this time, they found themselves in a maze. Garrus was determined to prove he was the best shot, but he regretted having a sniper rifle for this round.

    William walked along the maze, checking his sides at every cross road. It didn’t really matter if he was heading in the right direction or not but he’d be damned if he let himself get caught out by being flanked. There was a strong wind blowing which made trying to listen for footsteps impossible. After a while, he came up to a long walkway. Not daring to stick his head out, in case there was someone waiting for him, William grabbed a small pebble and chucked it around the corner, knowing that Garrus was likely to shoot anything moving.

      “Ow!” came a voice. William swallowed hard, recognizing the voice. Turning the corner, he saw Miranda holding her hand to her forehead. She had a fury in her eyes and William found himself praying for a quick death. Holstering his weapon, William apologized over and over. He hadn’t any medi-gel and he cursed himself for it. Seeing William fumble about, Miranda laughed. It didn’t really hurt, or even cut her, it was just the surprise of it all. William let go of the breath he was holding when the fury in her eyes seemed to die down. Suddenly though, Miranda threw him against the wall of the maze and pressed her lips to his own in almost an aggressive manner. William didn’t know what had come over her but he was loving it. Once the kiss was broken, William was still in a mild state of euphoria, so he didn’t realize Miranda lean in close.

    “I’m sorry Will, but this competition is between Garrus and myself.” Miranda whispered. William looked confused for a second but it was made clear when the shot rang out, eliminating him from the match, and now the final. He fell to his knees and Miranda rolled her eyes at how much he was over-reacting. Pulling him back up, Miranda apologized before running off, while William walked back to the lobby, laughing at the situation. If he knew he’d have gotten kissed like that, he’d have eliminated himself in the first round. It didn’t really surprise him though. Miranda could be very competitive.

    When William got back, Tali was almost doubled over laughing. Once he had gotten changed out of the battle suit, William joined Tali on the sofa where Tali showed him the short vid she had made of the kiss and the face he pulled at the end. William could still remember it. It made an addictive, electric feeling run through him but Tali seemed to find it hilarious. William watched the feed of the match while Tali started going on about how the war would have come to an abrupt end if Harbinger had simply made out with William before killing him.

     Garrus was surprised when he heard William’s name be called out as having been eliminated, but in a way he wasn’t surprised. Once he issued the challenge, Miranda would have wanted to battle him, so now that it would be just them in the final, it was getting excited. Garrus looked around him. He was camping in a corner with the Javelin pointed down a walkway. He was glad that it wasn’t a real Javelin though... Garrus had heard some harsh stories about those things. A Blackwatch operative had told him how he took the heads off three brutes with a single shot with one of those rifles. Getting back on track, Garry’s stared down through the scope of the gun until he saw a faint shadow standing at a corner. Garrus’ talon tensed on the trigger, and Tali and William watched as the second round finished with a trick shot and a delighted Turian.

     They seemed to leave as fast as they arrived, and soon Miranda and Garrus were competing for the title of ‘best shot’. Garrus had reverted back to his Viper while Miranda kept the Tempest. For the final round, the room was almost pitch dark, so both sides had to depend on a pair of night vision goggles. William knew from experience that Garrus would not be enjoying himself but it was a fitting final match. William found himself rooting for Miranda while Tali rooted for Garrus. William had promised to back Miranda in all her ventures and he wasn’t about to back out now, regardless of if she was fighting his best-friend or not. They had a few close calls, more than once but neither of them seemed to want to end the match quickly. This had started due to an argument of accuracy at distance and that is how it was going to end. Because of the goggles, Garrus could only look through his scope for a few seconds so he picked somewhere quiet and sat in wait. Miranda had it a bit easier due to the fact that she didn’t need a scope but she always had more accuracy using her eyes then looking through goggles of any sort.

    After a while, both Garrus and Miranda had picked their places. Now it was just a matter of who would get the shot in. Neither of them would take a shot until the opposite side took theirs, so the match started to drag on. William looked at his watch. Suddenly, the Battle master called and asked William to either pay up for another hour or to get the others and leave. He gave over the additional credits and the battle master left with a wide grin. Not wanting to have to pay an additional 2,000 credits, William grabbed the arena mic and told Miranda and Garrus that they only had an hour left.

    The battle quickly escalated from there. Miranda would throw a pebble out to test Garrus’ accuracy and sure enough, it was on point. Miranda could hear Garrus changing clips so she tried to take a shot, but Garrus had gone behind cover. Retaking cover, Miranda knew that they hadn’t much time, so they had to end things soon. Almost to prove her point, William called again, telling them they had ten minutes left. Deciding to finally end it, Miranda jumped from cover and time seemed to have slowed down. Garrus was staring at her through the rifle scope just as she took aim and the both of them fired. A few seconds of silence came before the computer called a tie. Everyone was shocked. As Miranda and Garrus came back into the lobby, William was checking the scoreboards. Both guns shot at the same time and surprisingly collided with their targets as well at the same time. Garrus tried to stress that since the rifle slug was longer and had a sharper point, that it should have been faster, but it was all over. Miranda and Garrus shook hands and then began complimenting each other on their tactics. The battle was over and everyone was friends again.

    After grabbing a bite to eat, they travelled back to the hotel in Paris. Miranda had decided to have a soak in the bath, without William for once, while William finally finished going through his reports and updates. By the time William had signed his name on the last form, Miranda had come out of the bathroom in her robe. William stretched his arms up over his head while Miranda gave an audible yawn. William quickly found himself doing the same so when Miranda laid down on the bed and invited him over, it didn’t take much to persuade him. William stripped down to his boxers while Miranda had exchanged her robe for a t-shirt and shorts. Lying down beside one another, they shared a kiss.

    “These past few weeks have been the best in my life Miri... Thank you...” William said, yawning.

    “I agree... I’m sorry that I knocked you out of the running earlier but... I... had to...” Miranda sighed. 

   “Don’t worry... What I got in return... was a lot better than beating Garrus at his own game.” William said, before he realized that Miri had fallen asleep in his arms. “Love you...” William whispered before he pulled her closer to him. They soon fell asleep in each other’s embrace.

 

**(Some distance away. Aboard the SSV ORIZUBA)**

Dana Shepard sat staring at two frames on her desk. One was an old, weathered photo that her mother had taken the day, William was born. A wide smile was spread across Benedict’s younger features, as he held a small child up in admiration. Dana remembered when she had been shown that picture, Benedict had told her that she had passed out, shortly before it was taken. The other photo, or rather holo-photo was a lot more recent. A much older William stood beside Miranda and Dana, surrounded by people of every race, every ethnicity. He had a bright smile across his face, and side-by-side, Dana could see how much William looked just like his father. She was sure, he already knew but Dana was certain that many wouldn’t survive the trials that William had gone through. She was proud of him. 

       Suddenly, she was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on her door. Looking at her clock, it was the middle of the night phase, so no crewmen should be up. If it was an emergency, as captain, she’d be the first to know.

   “Who is it?” She called out.

    “Mom? It’s me.” Came the reply. Dana knew that voice anywhere, but she was still seriously confused. She opened the door to confirm who it was, and sure enough, William stood on the other side, but Miranda was nowhere to be seen. Dana invited William in, who closed the door behind him. Suddenly, Dana heard the slide of a pistol and turned around to see one pointed in her face. ‘William’ had a cruel and malicious look on his face, and seeing a lock that sinister on her son’s face almost made Dana throw-up.

    “Who are you, you bastard!” Dana shouted. Dana had several pistols strewn around her room, but she wasn’t as spry as she used to be and she’d almost be a bigger target if she tried to arm herself.

    “Me? Oh, I’m just somebody your son destroyed! Someone who was created and thrown to one side. Casted away. An exile.” The imposter said, tightening his grip on his pistol.

     “How did my son destroy you? You look just like him!” Dana stated. She was starting to get angry.

    “Well when Cerberus was playing God, they made me. A perfect clone of William Shepard in case the sack of meat and bones they were pumping air into didn’t come back. But needless to say, it did, so they threw me out. Didn’t need me anymore. I tried to kill him a few months back on the Citadel and steal the Normandy but the bastard bested me and I tried to kill myself. Unfortunately for Shepard, I didn’t die but rather started plotting my revenge. Sadly though, that plan starts with your corpse in a pool of your own blood.” The clone said, taking aim.

    “It won’t work. No one will believe that William killed me, there are cameras everywhere.” Dana shouted.

    “Thankfully. I was counting on having video evidence. It’s amazing though, we can travel thousands of stars and still not feed a microphone into a captain’s office... Goodbye.” The clone stated. Throwing her head up, Dana whispered quietly.

   “I’m sorry William. I’ve got to go now but never forget that you’re not alone. You have a strong, beautiful woman by your side and together you two can accomplish anything. I love you and I’ll say hi to dad for you...”

  The camera then showed a fleeing William and Dana Shepard lying in a pool on the floor, a single gunshot between her eyes.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

William looked around himself. He was standing in the Normandy’s CIC after she had gotten repaired. The crew seemed fresh faced and happy to be back at work. They were to report to the rest of the Arcturus Fleet in the Arcturus system, where the Alliance was rebuilding their headquarters after the war. It felt good to be home again in the Normandy but since Miranda had moved in, it suddenly felt even more homely. William was checking their route on the galaxy map when Miranda appeared from the lift, coffee in hand and chewing on a slice of toast. She was wearing her Alliance uniform and William had to admit that she looked good in blue.

    “How much farther?” Miranda asked between mouthfuls. She handed the mug to William who thanked her with a kiss on the lips. William could still taste the butter.

    “About an hour. Since there isn’t any dock built yet, I’m just taking a shuttle over to Hackett’s ship and I’ll report back as soon as I hear anything. I’ll also suggest to Steven about making you XO again, but I’d say you probably have the position. I’ll be back in a minute, just have to check something with Joker.” William said, skirting around Miranda. Most of the time, William’s favourite place on the Normandy was the cockpit because while he has been among the stars his entire life, they still held a captivating beauty in his opinion, and he loved watching them.

   Joker was busy as usual flying the ship, so Edi was the first to acknowledge the Admiral’s presence. William said hello to them both, and then just stood there, leaning against the doorway pretending to look at a watch on his wrist. Edi quickly went back to work looking at various terminals but after the awkwardness got too much for her, she leaned over to Joker.

    “Jeff… Jeff!! JEFF!” Edi shouted, loud enough that it caused William to jump slightly. Joker looked terrified, as though he had done something wrong.

   “Yes? Edi... dear?” Joker said slowly.

    “I believe William would like to talk to you and while it is rude to ignore your friends, It is against Alliance regulations to ignore the vessel’s captain.” Edi said calmly. She then smiled at both Joker and William and returned to her work once again. Joker then turned around to face William, still looking as though he’s waiting for someone to snap and kill him.

   “Shepard? What... What can I do for you?” Joker asked. William smiled.

   “Just wondering if there’s anything off the comm buoys? Just so I can let Miri know, exactly how far are we from Arcturus? And would you calm down?!” William asked. Finally, Joker started acting normal again and turned back to his monitors.

   “Nothing off the buoys, which is kinda strange... but yeah we should be hitting Arcturus in forty-five minutes. By the way Shepard... next time could ya tap a guy on the shoulder or something. You nearly killed me there a minute ago.” Joker said, smirking.

    “I’ll try my best helmsman... but if you’re that distracted that you couldn’t tell someone was talking to you, maybe you shouldn’t be driving...” William suggested.

    “You’d have to pry the controls from my cold, lifeless hands!” Joker laughed. William left Joker and Edi be, while he headed into the war room, where he was sure he’d find Garrus. It was kinda surprising to find Miri in there too, and they seemed to be comparing their choice in rifles. It was a surprise at first, but since their tournament, Miranda and Garrus seemed to be getting along. Nothing could have been better in William’s mind.

   “Yes, I know you beat me with a pistol, but I still think that the rifle either was defective or the system glitched! The Viper should have hit you first! Oh, hi Shepard. Could you please explain to Miranda that rifles are better than pistols…? She won’t listen to me.” Garrus asked

     “And what makes you think that she’ll listen to me? And anyway, I got knocked out… I’m not getting involved in the argument. And anyway, we’re both snipers. My opinion would be biased.” William said before he stood beside Miranda. “It won’t be much longer until we reach Arcturus. What’s weird though is that there is nothing coming from the comms, so in case, I want everyone strapped up and ready when we come out on the other side.”

    “What could it be? The Alliance have had Arcturus under wraps since the war ended. Didn’t want anyone moving in. They’d have measures in place to prevent an ambush…” Miranda explained. William nodded.

   “I know. But as I said, it’s just a precaution. Don’t want to get caught out. I have Traynor looking into it and I’ve asked Edi to help. Meet me downstairs?” William said.

    “Sure. Give me a few minutes though.” Miranda said as she went off looking at a terminal. Garrus gestured for William to lead the way so they headed down to the armoury. William started pouring over his rifles and pulling his armour on. He had a special locker installed during the more recent repair for his armour and weapons. It was biometrically locked, sealed and even a McCain wouldn’t blow it open.

    “Any idea what we could find in Arcturus?” Garrus asked.

   “Haven’t a clue but that’s why I want us ready. About thirty minutes now until we’re there. I want you and Miri with me going in, everyone else is to stay on the ship. If it is an ambush or something, there’s no point in us all walking into a trap.” William explained. He pulled the slide on Aegis and holstered it. Holstered his own Wraith and Black Widow Rifle and picked up his helmet. It had been freshly polished, so the light shone off it brilliantly. Not long after, Miranda showed up, wearing her combat gear. William passed her, her Tempest and an Executioner Pistol. Walking up to her holding an Avenger Rifle, William gave Miranda a kiss before handing her the Rifle. She looked at him, confused.

   “As I’ve said to Garrus, I’ve no idea what we could find here so I want you using something that’s better at penetrating armour than your pistol. Ok? As well as that, you and Garrus are joining me in the fireteam. Command, after you, falls to James so he’ll be in charge until we get back. Any questions?” William asked, opening the floor. Garrus shook his head but Miranda tested the weight of the rifle before handing it back to William.

   “You know I’d have anyone’s head taken off with my usual gear before they’d have their shield pulled up. I don’t need this…” Miranda stated, looking slightly offended.

    “I’ve complete and utter trust in your skills Miri… It’s just that we’ve no idea why the entire Arcturus fleet seems to be gone silent. It’s only to have as back-up. Will you take it? Please?” William explained. Miranda had a defeated look in her eyes as she picked the rifle up again and holstered it on her back.

   “Thank you. Now come on, we should be hitting Arcturus any minute now.”

William stood before the entire bridge as Edi counted down. The Normandy lurched slightly as they left the Mass Relay. What was surprising though is that the entire Arcturus fleet was there, where it should be, and yet there was still zero communication. There were two capitol ships side-by-side so William directed Joker to head there. It was here that William got an even bigger surprise.

    “Wait… That’s the Orizuba! Why is my mother here?! She messaged me two days ago, she’s meant to be in the Terminus system. Take us in closer Joker and Edi, try to open a channel.” William commanded. Miranda watched William’s body language. His back was straight, his teeth were clenched, his eyes were looking for the slightest thing out of the ordinary. He was worried.

    “There is a problem connecting to the Orizuba or the Bastion (My name for Hackett’s ship. No name in the canon), I will retry.” Edi said. Flying through the system, no ship would open the Normandy’s various channel attempts, so William ordered Joker to land in one of the Bastion’s docking bays. The crew were gone silent and had returned to their stations. William cracked his knuckles before he pulled off Aegis. Garrus picked up his Vindicator and Miranda unholstered her pistol. William turned to Miranda and Garrus and explained that they were going to get aboard the Bastion, find out what had happened and then try and solve the problem. It was followed by a shoot-to-kill order.

   “If this is the work of someone betraying the Alliance while they were weak, I’ll personally kill them myself. If it’s just a bunch of pirates that got lucky then we’ll just clear them out. Any questions?” William said. Both Miranda and Garrus shook their heads this time and William and Miranda shared a quick kiss.

    Joker easily made his way inside to the Bastion and docked up. Just as the Normandy locked in place however, Edi alerted them to a hack attempt just before she went offline. Joker started to panic before he realised that his controls had been locked as well. The hiss of the airlock could be heard and William, Garrus and Miranda made up a firing line, hoping to catch their intruders off. Suddenly, the airlock opened, and William got electrocuted and knocked out, while all their weapons had been sabotaged. Miranda threw her weapon to the floor as she fell to her knees and lifted William up. He was knocked out cold. Soldiers spilled in through the open airlock, pointing their weapons at everyone on the bridge. An officer walked over to William’s unconscious body and threw cuffs on him. Pulling him up, the officer ordered two soldiers to carry him to the holding cells. Miranda stood there, furious that they seemed to be ignoring her, so she stormed up and asked why they had taken William away.

   “William Shepard-Lawson is being arrested for murder of an Alliance officer. The murder of his mother, Admiral Dana Shepard.”


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

“What?! What do you mean? William’s mother is dead!” Miranda mumbled. Miranda never mumbled, it was strange to hear but her thoughts were all over the place. Miranda went off to walk alongside William’s unconscious body, but she was stopped.

    “You are to remain here Mrs. Shepard-Lawson. Your husband will have a trial and the evidence will be reviewed there. You will be given legal aid but for the time being. Admiral Hackett has asked for your presence in his office. The remainder of your crew is to report to the dormitories on the lower decks”

   The crew began pouring out of the Normandy, but Joker refused to move until they unlocked Edi’s mainframe. The soldiers began to try and pull him out of his seat, but he stubbornly refused to move. Luckily, Edi came back online soon after and effortlessly pulled the other soldiers off Jeff, and helped him stand up. Joker could hear some of the other soldiers commenting that they’d throw themselves down a flight of stairs to get an assistance mech as hot as Edi and he knew that Edi could hear them too, but she was probably just ignoring them. He couldn’t though, and he began shouting at them, telling them to respect him and his wife. When they started laughing, Joker got ready to throw a punch, but Edi stopped him before he caused more damage than he could inflict. When they were away from earshot, Joker had a few questions for Edi. He found out that the reason that Edi first went offline is because of the initial disconnection from her main servers, but she had installed herself into the mech a while back in the off chance of such an occasion. Joker was thankful for her foresight. Edi was shocked when Joker told her that William had been arrested for his mother’s murder, but she knew that she couldn’t be considered for evidence in the hearing because there was the chance that William could have tampered with her records. She knew for all her worth that William would never do such a thing but there was no reason for everyone else to believe her.

    Miranda marched along the corridors of the Bastion, furious that they could even think that William would even ever think of killing his mother. Family is something by which William lives by, now Miranda was his only immediate family. It was mediocre. As she passed by nervous looking recruits, or even more seasoned specialists, they all seemed to stare at her, as though they were wondering how Miranda could even stand to be married to a monster… Had they already forgotten the sacrifices and hardships that William had gone through for most of them! Heading in the direction that was specified, Miranda just disregarded or just completely ignored the onlookers and became completely focused on what she was going to say to Hackett when she saw him. As she got closer to Hackett, the security seemed to increase exponentially. Screening after screening, which finally ended with a frisk and full surrender of all items that could even be thought of to use as weapons. Finally, Miranda stood in-front of Hackett’s door, and she knocked. She could hear Hackett call her in, so she straightened her back, slipped into her old, calculating persona and headed in. If Miranda wanted to help William, she knew that she couldn’t let her emotions get in the way. What she saw on the other side of the door however, surprised her.

    If the half empty bottles weren’t enough to make it obvious, the smell was. Hackett sat there, almost buried behind glass bottles and paperwork, strewn around his desk. The man looked like a wreck and now, the harsh words that Miranda had prepared just wouldn’t come out.

    “You wanted to see me Admiral? What is this about Dana Shepard? I remember her being at my wedding three and a half weeks ago… What the hell happened!” Miranda urged.

    “You see… I wish that I could tell you. All I know is that, a dear friend of mine is dead, her son and my godson is now the primary suspect in the murder and just when things were starting to get back on track… we stumble back even farther.” Hackett said, quietly.

    “What do you mean though? How could William be the prime suspect? We’ve been flying through Alliance controlled space in one of the most famous and noticeable ships in galactic history. Anyway, I can assure you that William has been with me for most of that time. How could he suddenly travel thousands of light years away, murder his mother, and still make it back before any of us would notice him missing? There is something here that doesn’t bloody make sense.” Miranda said, sitting before the admiral’s desk.

    “Believe me Mrs. Shepard… I feel the same way but there is video evidence captured on Dana’s desktop. It showed a damn clear video of William aiming a pistol at his mother and firing the gun with a look of something like glee. What confused me though, is after the whole situation, they searched the Orizuba from top to bottom… No one saw William, heard a ship leave or arrive… It’s almost as though Dana was struck by some sort of angel of death that just vanished. It can’t look as though I’m picking favourites, so I can’t investigate William’s case… that’s why I want you to do it.” Hackett said. Miranda saluted him and nodded.

    “It’d be my pleasure. But one or two questions. Rather than abduct William practically, why were they so rough? I mean, if they introduced themselves as Alliance, we’d have let them board. But no, they just tore the door down, tazed William and dragged him off to a cell?... And William told me that the Orizuba was meant to be over in the Terminus systems. How’d it get here to Arcturus?” Miranda asked.

   “I didn’t know and don’t know why they were so rough, to tell you the truth. I only ordered them to detain William, not to harm him. As for the Orizuba, when we heard that Dana had been murdered, I ordered full media silence. We didn’t need the public knowing that someone snuck onto a battle cruiser and murdered an Alliance official. The press would have had a field day… well that’s the official story. Really why I did it is because I didn’t want William to hear the news coming the radio and if it was made public, I felt as though it would be blown out of proportion. I wanted to give my friend her privacy, and I felt as though she deserved it.” Hackett explained.

    “William may not say this when he finds out at first, but thank you. May I go and see William? I’ll also need my team. They might have an idea on who would have done this. We’ll conduct this investigation all above board. I don’t want to think that we have a solid defence and then have someone come and put a hole in it.” Miranda said.

     “I’ll give you clearance to get aboard the Orizuba, but I can only allow you one crew member to go with you. Obviously, William will also have to stay locked up, but I’ll also let you see him. No one would prohibit the man seeing his wife. God knows I wouldn’t mind having my own nearby at times…” Hackett said. Miranda stood up from her chair and shook the Admiral’s hand. “Just find the son of a bitch that did this. That is an order.”

    “That would be my pleasure…” Miranda replied. Miranda left the office with a fierce determination, she had a few ideas on where she’d start but she wanted to pay William a visit first.

 

    Deep in the bowels of the Bastion, were the holding cells. Most of the cells were empty which most of the patrol were thankful for, but since William had been put inside, nearly everyone had wanted to see if their hero really had been imprisoned. William lay on a bench, handcuffed and unconscious. When Miranda laid her eyes on him, her heart broke. People would pass and remark on how the mighty had fallen, or how he must have finally gone crazy, and it drove Miranda crazy. Thankfully, Hackett had kept up his side of the bargain and Garrus was freed from the others. They sat in William’s cell, discussing their plans. Garrus laid against the wall, trying to rest once the night shift had started. Miranda on the other hand, had decided to sleep beside William, which was no easy feat since the bench was so small. In the end, she practically slept on top of him and quickly fell asleep. Roughly six hours later, William finally woke up and Miranda wasn’t sure it was good or not, considering that she didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.


	30. Chapter Thirty

The first thing that William noticed was his surroundings. He couldn’t hear the familiar sounds of the Normandy or the hustle of booted feet along her steel plated floors. He felt a hard, cold surface underneath him which he was pretty sure was a metal bench. Next came the smells. While the Normandy was primarily a military vessel, she had her own unique set of aromas that depended where you stood in the ship and what he was smelling was not familiar at all. Then one scent did catch his attention. A pleasant combination of strawberries and lilac. A smell that he could only associate with only one person. William opened his eyes to see only darkness. He laughed slightly as he realised that Miranda’s thick locks had fallen over his eyes and she was sleeping, snuggly tucked into his left side. He tried to rest his right arm over her back, but he found himself handcuffed to the bed. Suddenly, the past few hours flashed in his mind and he began to panic. William tried to sit up and the violent jolts startled Miranda who sat up straight as a plank in the flash of an eye.

     Miranda noticed the panicked look in William’s eyes and quickly placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. He seemed to relax almost instantly, and it was heart-warming to know that she could have that kind of effect on him.

    “Miri? What… What happened? Where are we?” William urged. Miranda’s face fell solemnly, and this only seemed to rekindle William’s paranoia. “C’mon Miri, I can take it! What happened!”

    Miranda swallowed hard. “William, before I tell you what happened, I want your word that you’ll act in a civilised and sane manner. Or really, I don’t know how you should act, everything is so damn crazy… Do I have your word?” Miranda asked, sternly. William gave a small nod as he stared deep into Miranda’s eyes. “Will… It’s Dana. She was attacked on board the Orizuba and killed… and to make matters worse, you’re the prime suspect for the murder because they somehow have footage of your doppelganger killing your mother and fleeing the scene. I’m so sorry William…” Miranda said. She looked at William. He was surprisingly calm, but it began to worry Miranda when William didn’t say a thing. William simply kept staring at her. William was the kind of person who was influenced by his emotions. If he wasn’t expressing anything that was a bad sign. He could be either bottling it up, or simply trying to process the information in his head. Miranda however, got her answer a couple of minutes later when William’s face contorted in ravenous anger and he blew his cuffs off in a blast of biotic energy. The guards outside his cell quickly had their arms held up but before William could even think of something else, he felt a faint pin prick in his neck and his anger just seemed to ebb away. His arms became heavy and his legs got soft and soon he fell back into Miranda’s awaiting arms. It was at this point that the commotion seemed to wake Garrus, who was asleep on a chair in the corner.

    As Miranda laid William down, she kissed him on the forehead. She held up a small syringe and explained to him that she had given him a heavy relaxant because she had a feeling that he’d react violently to the news and Miranda didn’t want to give the Alliance a reason to kill him before William had given her a chance to clear his name.

    “… now Hackett has tasked Garrus and I with clearing your name and getting you out of this cell. I know that you’re angry and furious over what happened, but people believe that you did the crime because of your doppelganger so it will be hard to find any friends here on board, except for us and Admiral Hackett. I’m sorry Will, but you are stuck here for the time being. I’ll come down and see you every day, and I’ll let you know of any changes. I love you and I’ll get the bastard who did this to you.” Miranda explained. The relaxant must have been very powerful because William’s words had begun to get slurred, so Miranda could barely hear William.

   “Thak you Mir, bt that bosturd is mune…” Was all that William could say before he fell asleep. Miranda was confused, so she asked Garrus if he could understand what William had said. Garrus shrugged.

   “I’ve no idea what he said, but if I know him as well as I think I do, then he said that the bastard was his?” Garrus said, opening the cell for Miranda to step out.

   “I will not let it come to that end. Come on, we’ve an investigation to solve.” Miranda stated.

  Miranda had decided to begin her investigation on board the Orizuba and her first stop was Dana’s office. The guards patrolling the corridors seemed to drag themselves along the hallways. While it wasn’t a proud sign for the state of the military, everyone seemed to mourn Dana’s death. Stepping into the reasonably small office, the first thing that Miranda realised is, that Dana seemed to be a neat freak. A clear opposite to William, who could regularly lose anything in the clutter of his office. Next were the bloodstains, the largest being a crimson stain that boldly stood out in contrast to the white carpet on the floor. Streaks were cast along the various tomes and volumes that sat on the shelves running along the walls, so it was obvious that Dana was shot at close range. Miranda next went to Dana’s computer, trying to see any obvious signs of tampering. She couldn’t find a thing. Suddenly, Miranda caught sight of a faint glint down on the floor. Looking closer, Miranda noticed that it was an old wooden photo frame. It looked as though it had been pushed to the ground by someone in a hurry and the glass had gotten broken. Fishing the photo out from the ruined frame, Miranda studied it. While she had never met him, Miranda could instantly tell that the man in the photo was Benedict, William’s father. The dead giveaway had to be the fact that Benedict almost looked like William’s identical twin, except for a long, heavy beard. Benedict seemed to be holding, who Miranda assumed to be William, and Miranda hoped that she’d be able to show William the picture later.

     Garrus just seemed to be admiring the memorabilia that Dana collected over the ages and left Miranda off to compile her research. It was infuriating for Garrus as well when they dragged William off as though he was trash. Garrus had lost his mother long ago but she died with honour, but for a captain to be assassinated on board her ship, in her office, it was horrible. But what confused Garrus was, who could have done it. Kai Lang was dead, The Illusive Man was dead, even the Reapers were destroyed. Saren turned to ash, and Udina had died during the coup… who else was left? William had no enemies, since he had either killed them himself or simply just outlasted them all. Garrus ran a talon along the fabric of an American flag that was attached to the wall. Dana had been a spacer most of her life, but it seemed that she also missed her home. She was honour bound to keep fighting for the sake of humanity.

    “Like mother, like son” Garrus whispered. Garrus walked over and stood beside Miranda who was watching the camera feed on a loop. She seemed to be concentrating deeply on the video, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It was terrifying to watch the short video. There was no audio, but to see a monster, wearing her husband’s face, and to shoot her mother-in-law, it would sicken most people. Time seemed to fade as Miranda watched the video loop, almost as though it was taunting her to find something, until she caught a glimmer in the video. Miranda zoomed in, and cursed as the glimmer lost focus in the feed. Miranda was certain about what it was though because she had become intimately aware of William’s scars over the course of their Collector campaign. That was until William got sick of looking like a patchwork human and had Chakwas get rid of the scars using laser therapy. It was a reconstructive surgery scar, and it was another piece of proof that it wasn’t her William that committed the murder. Unfortunately, unless Miranda had someone else to put before the ship’s officers, her new-found evidence could be thrown out as tampered feed footage. A poor attempt by a wife, trying to save her husband and refusing to accept that he could be responsible for murdering his own mother. No, Miranda knew that this was just another piece of the puzzle, but this small clue would hopefully renew people’s hope in William. He deserved that much.

   Standing up, Miranda showed the picture to Garrus and after explaining its significance, they both decided to go and show Hackett. As they walked through the hall, people would stare at them and sneer, as though what they were trying to do was an act of evil. While Garrus made his feelings well known with bared teeth and angry growls, Miranda simply kept a stoic face and ran a finger over her wedding ring, thinking of her vows to William and how she hadn’t any plan to go and break them.

   A couple of hours passed when William had finally woken up. While his limbs still felt a little heavy, he was pulled out of his hazy stupor when a guard rattled his pistol against the bars of William’s cell.

   “Dinner time, War Hero.” The guard grumbled, as he stepped into the cell. William pulled his legs over the side of the cot that he had been laid on, but the guard dropped the plate on the floor and the food had gotten smeared. William looked up at the guard with a look of utter disgust. The past 24 hours had to have been the worst in his life and things did not look like they were about to get any easier.

  “What’s your name soldier? I wanna know who I’ll be writing up when all this shit is over…” William said, not even bothering to look at the food on the floor.

   “Oh, you know me Admiral. In fact, you could say we’re the same person.” The guard replied, sarcastically. William was certainly confused, until he started putting the pieces together in his head.

   “No… it can’t be. You fell from the Normandy, while she flew over the lower wards! How?!” William ordered. Crouching down, Clone William hit a switch on the side of his helmet. The helmet hissed open and revealed a face that almost made William throw up. William was looking at himself.

   “You made this monster. I’m just the ugly side of you that you don’t other people seeing. After you kicked me off the Normandy, I landed on a passing trash freighter. My leg was broken so I couldn’t move. Thankfully, I wasn’t thrown in a trash compactor or anything and I must hand it to Cerberus, because my leg healed on its own as I lay in a pile of trash. I know this seems horribly cliché, but I swore that I’d get my revenge and the first step was to get rid of dear old mum.” Clone William explained. William stared at his clone with mirth and a hatred so intense that even the Reapers hadn’t the satisfaction with seeing.

   “I swear that I will bury my pistol and smear your sadistic brains all over the ground. I’ll make sure your dead this time, you bastard!” William said with a murderous calmness. Clone Shepherd simply smiled as his helmet closed again, hiding the nightmare within.

   “Now, you know that Dana wouldn’t approve of that anger…” Clone Shepherd said, clicking his tongue at the end.

   “You’re not allowed say her name, fucker! Just know that when I get free from here, I will find you and you’ll have wished that you stayed dead…” William said, the rage in his eyes only getting stronger.

   “And you just know that if you tell the missus about me, there might be an unfortunate accident happen somebody. Believe me, I’ll know if you do…” Clone Shepherd said, closing the cell behind him. William started laughing.

   “When I tell Miranda about you, there’ll be two people out for blood. At least I’d leave you in recognizable chunks, Miranda will tear you apart with her bare hands.” William replied, lying down on the cot once again. Clone Shepherd then left, smirking to himself.

   “I never said who’d it happen to…”


End file.
